


Above and Beyond

by Wreck



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - America, Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Stalking, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-29
Updated: 2013-10-29
Packaged: 2017-12-30 21:11:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1023431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wreck/pseuds/Wreck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Law student Merlin Emrys gets more than he bargained for out of his new internship at the firm of Pendragon, La Fey, Du Lac, Pendragon. When he uncovers a plot that threatens his new boss, he must decide if he’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep Arthur safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Merlin Horror fest prompt #15 from andiwould.livejournal.com: After everything Merlin's had to do to protect Arthur, it arrives into a point where he starts to enjoy finding threats and getting rid of them. It’s the only thing Melin lives for, keeping Arthur's safe, but at what price? Soon Merlin starts becoming more ruthless and careless, and starts killing almost everyone who gets too close to Arthur to be suspicious, and the worst part, he enjoy it. Arthur notices the change of behaviour and it's up to him to make Merlin see reason.
> 
> I loved the idea for this prompt, and then I started writing and the fic kinda grew a life of it's own. I hope this isn't too far from what the OP had in mind. *fingers crossed*
> 
> I had a blast writing this, and it would have never gotten anywhere near finished if it wasn't for my amazing beta/cheerleader, SamsJam (dontblinktheangelshavecamelot.tumblr.com), who gave me amazing notes, pointed out my stupid typos, and gave me a mountain of plot bunnies. Honestly, I have never worked so close with someone on a story that I wasn't co-authoring, and it was an amazing experience. 
> 
> So, this story is for you, Sam. I am so glad that we bumped into each other outside of the Slash Meet Up at Leaky Con 2013, and that you were wearing a Merthur shirt so that I could squee all over you. It was the start of an amazing friendship <3\. 
> 
> Again, thank you, thank you, Sam – I owe you a pony.
> 
> Finally, if you want to get into my mindset while writing this, you can listen to the following three tracks over and over:  
> \- The Perfect Drug by Nine Inch Nails  
> \- I'm Afraid of Americans by David Bowie  
> \- I Hope You Suffer by AFI

_Pendragon, La Fey, Du Lac, and Pendragon._

The law firm’s name was in deep red, and underneath was an emblem that reminded Merlin of the Hogwarts crest. His name and address were plainly printed in the center of the envelope, and gave no hints to the letter’s contents. Merlin had been staring at it for the better part of an hour, and worrying the flap with his fingernail, too afraid of bad news to open it himself.

He had come home to find the letter innocently sitting on top of the newly delivered post, casually resting above bills and magazines and junk mail. The delivery should have had more fanfare; surely something this momentous shouldn’t be sitting with his roommate’s rugby magazine. He snatched up the letter and planted himself on the couch, ready to tear the thing open, but stopped short in a sudden fit of nerves.

The Pendragon internship was Merlin’s dream.  He had interned and worked part time at several firms in and around San Francisco since his undergraduate years and everywhere he went, he always heard that Pendragon, La Fey, Du Lac, and Pendragon was making waves; even the older, more established firms agreed that it was worth keeping an eye on. Now entering his final year of law school, Merlin knew that this last internship would likely impact which firms offered him a position after graduation. And where he ended up was crucial.

He had been following Pendragon, La Fey, Du Lac, and Pendragon his entire educational career. His final paper the previous year had been a study of the Avalon Case, the precedent changing court case that put Arthur Pendragon on map, and not just because his last name was _Pendragon_. It was because of the significance of that case that Merlin had a binder filled with articles featuring the younger Pendragon, and nothing at all to do with the way he looked in a bespoke suit.

Merlin groaned and dropped his head into his hands. He wished he didn’t want this position so much. He wished his roommate would come home and tell him to stop worrying so much and to just open the damn letter. He wished he had a stiff drink.

At least the last wish was easily remedied.

Gwaine came home a few hours later to find Merlin sitting at their kitchen table with the envelope stuck to his forehead and four bottles of beer surrounding him. He huffed out a laugh, flipping windswept hair out of his eyes as he hung his bike in their entryway. Moving into the kitchen, he pulled a beer out of the fridge for himself before and joining Merlin at the table.

“If you’re playing that game from _Inglourious Basterds_ , I’m pretty sure you need at least one other player,” Gwaine said. “Also, I’m pretty sure your own name isn’t supposed to be on the card. But fair play for trying yourself.”

Merlin groaned again and pulled the envelope off his forehead.

“Here, you open it,” he said, thrusting it out towards his roommate.

Stepping forward, he got a closer look at the envelope, his eyes widening. “Oh fuck, Merlin. Is this it? Your internship?”

“I don’t know! I can’t open it. I’ve been staring at that thing for hours. What if I don’t get it? Nearly everyone in my class applied for The Pendragon Internship, and there are only four positions, and if I don’t get this one I’ll never get a proper offer and I’ll likely never pass the bar and my life is basically already over,” Merlin said in a rush, flailing his arms.

“And you’ll never meet your Law Crush?” Gwaine smirked.

Merlin avoided his gaze, but his cheeks flushed. “You know it’s not about that,” he insisted.

“Look, Merlin,” Gwaine said, his normal mischievous grin replaced with a serious look. “You know that I’m not usually the voice of reason. In fact, I usually hate being the voice of reason. It’s a job that I reserve for Percy.” Merlin cracked a smile. “But seriously, even if you don’t get this one, your life isn’t over. You have a CV packed with internships and other work experience and your grades are ace. Secondly, you know this shite forwards and backwards, so the bar will be no problem, given the amount you blow me off to study.”

“But–” Merlin started to protest, but Gwaine wasn’t done.

“And thirdly,” Gwaine continued, tearing open the envelope, “none of that matters because you got it.”

“I what?!”

“You, my pessimistic little friend, got your internship! Just as I knew you would,” Gwaine said, waving the letter in front of Merlin’s face. “All those times you wouldn’t come on the pull with me, making me fend for myself in a strange country.”

Merlin snatched it out of his hands and stared at his acceptance, reading and rereading the line “we are pleased to offer you an Internship...” over and over. His eyes skimmed down to the bottom where it was signed by a recruiter, but also by Uther Pendragon himself. Merlin nearly fell over.

It took him a moment to collect himself and realize that Gwaine was complaining about Merlin ditching him to study. 

“Strange country! You’ve lived here for three years now,” Merlin accused, jabbing his finger at Gwaine’s chest. “Now, shut up. I have to go call my mom.”

“You mean you’re going to have a wank over that letter. Try not to get anything on it, I’m getting it framed.”

“Fuck off, Gwaine. I’m calling my mom.”

“Whatever,” Gwaine said, waving Merlin away. “Just hurry up. We have to celebrate tonight.”

Merlin hurried down the hall and closed the door behind him, shock still pooling in his stomach. Tossing aside his phone, he went straight for the bookshelf and pulled out a thick three ringed binder. It had started as research for his case study, but quickly devolved into something else entirely.

He had studied Arthur Pendragon’s Law career obsessively; Arthur was his inspiration, and everything he wanted to be as a Lawyer. And if Merlin also happened to find him devastatingly gorgeous, well, that was just a bonus.

He opened the binder and flipped through the pages. It wasn’t hard to find the article he was looking for: It was from _San Francisco Magazine_ , and it was a full page spread of Arthur leaning against a large mahogany desk in an impeccable suit, the skyline of The City visible in the window behind him.

The headline read “The New Prince of Law: Arthur Pendragon,” and Merlin nearly had the whole article memorized, from the opening, “You’ll never believe this, but I swear, what I really wanted to be when I grew up was Zack Morris,” to his reaction when the Avalon verdict was delivered, “I was confident we would win, but there’s always that small lingering doubt when the Jury goes behind those doors. As soon as they came back with a not guilty verdict, I knew we had done something important. I knew that those months of work were more than worth it.”

He didn’t need to read the article again; he knew that Arthur was trying to do more than just follow in the family business, how he had worked hard, even through school, to make a name of himself outside of his family. Instead, Merlin stared at the firm’s rising star and knew in his gut that if he could just have the chance to meet him…. he felt a familiar surge of energy under his skin at the prospect.

He palmed at his quickening hardness through his pants for a moment, staring down at the photo spread on the bed next to him. He felt the power pool deep within his core and lost himself in sensation for a moment before Gwaine’s taunting voice floated down the hall, breaking the spell.

“Hurry the fuck up, Merlin!”

Slamming the binder closed, he scrubbed at his face with his hand to clear his mind, then finally picked up his phone and tapped his mom’s name. Hunith answered on the second ring and barely got out a “Hello, darling,” before Merlin interrupted.

“Mom. I got it. I got the Pendragon internship.”

He had to hold the phone away from his ear, her shriek of delight was so loud.

  
~~~~

 

Merlin and Gwaine lived in a Grand Victorian in Hayes Valley, occupying the entirety of the converted top floor apartment. It wasn’t a place that Merlin could ever dream of affording with only one other roommate, what with his meager and infrequent internship salaries and his tuition to University of San Francisco. Luckily for him, Gwaine had been recruited out of University College Dublin and paid an outrageous amount to be a programmer (or Hacker Extraordinaire, as he liked to call it) for Camelot Gaming. The Irishman had grown up poor and didn’t have expensive taste, so he was more than happy to spend part of his ridiculously large paycheck on keeping a roof over Merlin’s head as well as his own.

Their unexpected friendship started off when Merlin had pulled Gwaine out of oncoming traffic (Gwaine had still been looking right to see if the road was clear, having only been in San Francisco about 2 weeks), and Gwaine insisted on repaying Merlin by buying him his body weight in beer at the first bar they came across in The Mission. After finding out that Merlin’s father had been born in Ireland, too, Gwaine had declared Merlin his new best friend and that was that. Months later, when Merlin’s former roommates graduated and decided they had enough of city living, Gwaine insisted that Merlin move in with him.

That was two years ago.

Two years of, in Gwaine’s opinion, too much studying and not enough drinking. Which is why Gwaine was dragging Merlin down their stairs by the arm, out their front door, and pounding on door right next to theirs.

“Percy? Will? Elena?” Gwaine yelled through the door. “I know you’re home! Open up!”

It took a few minutes before a very rumpled looking Elena answered the door in nothing but her panties and an over large men’s dress shirt splattered with paint.

“Well, don’t you look radiant this evening,” Gwaine said with a wink as Elena glared at her two neighbors.

“I was sleeping, you jerk. I’ve been up all night working on a exhibit.”

“Well get dressed. Merlin got that Pendragon internship that he’s been banging on about. We’re celebrating!”

Elena’s sleepy expression flew right off her face and Merlin suddenly found himself with an armful of blonde hair and flailing limbs.

“Oh, that’s amazing Merlin! Congratulations!” She said as she pulled back. She seemed to notice she had no pants on and her cheeks reddened slightly. “Oh, gosh, I’m sorry. I just don’t like pants.”

“I’m not complaining,” Gwaine insisted over Merlin’s embarrassed stammering.

“Stop it,” she shrieked, but her voice was full of laughter. “I’ll go change really quick. Oh, this is so exciting! Are you so excited, Merlin?”

“I’m still kinda in shock,” Merlin admitted, but Gwaine cut him off.

“Details at the bar, Merlin. Now, get dressed. Chop! Chop!” Gwaine commanded, pointing back into Elena’s apartment.

“Alright, alright. Hold your horses,” Elena scolded, but ducked back into the apartment anyway.

“Get Percy and Will, too, will ya?” Gwaine called after her as she disappeared down her hall.

She reappeared less than a minute later looking exactly the same but with the addition of a pair of tight black jeans, ballet flats, and a purse slung over her shoulder. Merlin envied her artist spirit, unashamed to head out to the bars with smudges of paint on her neck and in her hair.

“I’ve texted the boys, and they’ll meet us there,” Elena said, locking her door. “Flybar I assume?”

“You know it,” confirmed Gwaine.

She looped her arms into both Merlin’s and Gwaine’s and they headed off down the street together.

 

~~~

 

“So what’s this I hear about our little Merlin all grown up and getting his first choice at internships?” Will said by way of greeting, flinging himself into a chair at their small round table in the corner. “I’m like a proud mother!”

Percy followed Will with a quiet “hey guys,” as he slid into the last empty chair.

“You are nothing like my mother, as you well know,” Merlin insisted. “My mother is a saint of a woman and you are a demon of a manchild.”

“The point is you got the Pendragon internship.” Will dismissed the slight on his character with a wave and then turned to order from the waitress that had appeared at their table. He turned back to Merlin and planted his elbows on the table, leaning forward. “You fucking did it, man!”

Merlin couldn’t help the grin that split his face. “I’m still getting used to the idea that it’s actually happening,” he admitted.

“When do you start?” Percy asked.

“Two weeks. But I have to so much to do before. There are new case studies to read, and I have go see my advisor about the hours, and oh god, I don’t even have a good suit to wear.” Merlin’s voice was taking on a hysterical edge and Elena slid her arm around his neck and pulled him into a sideways hug.

“You have plenty of time,” she said. “Besides, tonight isn’t about stressing, it’s about celebrating.”

“She took the words straight out of my mouth,” Gwaine agreed, nodding his head approvingly. “And hey, I know a guy. We’ll get you a new suit, no problem.”

“You know a guy?” Will repeated incredulously. “You know how sketchy that sounds, right, Gwaine?”

Gwaine just winked at Will over the rim of his drink.

“It’s just that this is it, guys,” Merlin continued, voice thick. “This could be my chance to secure a spot in an amazing firm after graduation. And a chance to work with some of the top lawyers in the country.”

“You mean Arthur Pendragon.” Gwaine said. It wasn’t a question.

“You mean Merlin’s Law Crush,” Will said.

“It’s not like that,” he insisted. “Pendragon, La Fey, Du Lac, and Pendragon is the best firm in The City. And they have a reputation that’s unheard of in terms of changing precedent. I could… I could really make a difference at a place like that. ”

There’s an awkward pause where Merlin’s friends all seemed to have a silent argument with each other over his bowed head. Gwaine finally caved and clapped Merlin’s shoulder roughly.

“You know he’d be proud, yeah?” Gwaine said kindly. “Just remember that, ok?”

Merlin gave him a watery smile. “Yeah. Yeah, I know. Sorry for being a killjoy.”

“Nonsense,” Elena scoldes. “You couldn’t if you tried.”

By that time the waitress had brought over Will and Percy’s drinks, along with the next round for Merlin, Gwaine, and Elena.

“How about a toast then,” Will suggested, raising his glass. “To Merlin!”

“Let him rock the socks off those hotshot lawyers,” Elena said, raising her glass.

“Let him make all of us as proud as his mom is,” Percy said.

“And me!” Will reminded him.

“As proud as his mom and Will are, then,” Percy amended, raising his glass in turn.  

“Let him catch the eye of some fancy-pants lawyer, who may or may not be called Arthur, and have fantastic office sex,” Will added with a wink and a raise of his own glass.

Merlin was blushing like crazy at this point, and was struck by how lucky he was to have such amazing friend.

“And let us never lose his number in case we fuck up and land our arses in jail,” Gwaine finished.

“Cheers!” they all chorused together clinking their glasses and taking sips before dissolving into gales of laughter.

Much later, after more rounds of drinks were consumed, after nachos were ordered and demolished, and Gwaine had been thoroughly shut down once again as he tried to get everyone interested in discussing Rugby and the talk turned to the Giants’ chances in the World Series. After Will had struck out with three different girls, and after one brave man had approached Elena only to be glared at by everyone at the table, and after they had settled their tab and stumbled back out onto Divisadero.

After all of that, Merlin found himself in bed, mostly drunk, thinking about his internship, and Arthur Pendragon, and the future, that streached out before him like a skyline that goes on and on. He had one hand loose around his cock, and as he stroked himself through to orgasm, flickers of glowing light danced around his bedroom.

 

~~~

 

Merlin stared out the window in awe. The two weeks between his acceptance and his start date had flown by in a rush of nerves and crazy schedulings. But now he was trying to act calm as he stood in the lobby of Pendragon, La Fey, Du Lac, and Pendragon.

His eyes traveled down the waterfront and settled on the Ferry Building. Merlin had, of course, walked around this part of The City a million times, but being above the hustle and bustle, high above the streets, and looking out over the bay through floor to ceiling windows was a completely different experience. He doubted that he could ever get used to the view.

“Merlin Emrys?”

Merlin dragged his eyes away from the view and was greeted by a young woman, maybe only a few years older than himself. She was dressed in a perfect grey pencil skirt and jacket set, with a soft yellow blouse layered under a tangle of beads, giving her a gentle look around the business edge. He held out his hand and it was grasped in a soft, warm shake.

“Welcome to Pendgraon, Du Lac, La Fey, and Pendragon. I’m Gwen Smith,” she said in a voice as soft and warm as her handshake.

“Pleased to meet you,” Merlin said with a smile.

“Likewise,” Gwen said, gesturing for Merlin to follow her as she headed off down the hall leading out of the spacious lobby. “We have a super busy morning, Merlin. We’ve got to get you to badging and then there’s a small orientation with our legal team, because you know how lawyers are – especially lawyers for lawyers – always certain that everything is going to go wrong and that we have to cover our asses.”

Merlin was startled into a genuine laugh and Gwen flashed him an embarrassed smile.  

“Oh, sometimes my mouth get’s away from me,” she said by way of apology. “The team all likes it, but I sometimes forget it can be, um, startling for the new guys.”

It was settled. He already loved Gwen.

“No need to apologize,” Merlin insisted, still chuckling. “It actually calms a lot of my nerves.”

“Always glad to help,” Gwen said with a wink. “Anyway, after the orientation we’ll do lunch and then get you set up with a desk and all that and hopefully we’ll have collected the other interns by then, too.”

Other interns. Merlin felt the anxious clench in his stomach again. These weren't just the people he would have to work with during the internship, because in all likelihood, he’d be competing against them for a coveted spot within the company. It was such a tenuous balance between coworker and competition.

Merlin tried to shove aside his own nerves and let himself feel the rhythm of the office as they passed different conference rooms and employees rushing here and there. He was glad that he’d agreed to Gwaine’s help with buying a new suit; what he had previously thought of as his nicer clothes – button ups and slacks – would never have cut it here. Everyone looked the picture of professionalism, and he hoped that no one noticed his Golden Snitch socks (thrown on at the last second as he gulped down coffee and rushed out of the house, wanting to be early on his first day).

Everyone they passed waved at Gwen and wished her a “Happy Monday” or a “Good Morning.” They were either the most cheerful group of lawyers he had ever met, or Gwen was well loved.

“You seem to be quite the star around here,” Merlin observed.

“That’s just because they know that I’m the one who gets things done. Officially I’m only Uther’s Admin, but since he can’t be bothered with the trivialities of day to day business, it mostly falls to me.” It was said in a matter of fact tone, but Merlin could tell that Gwen was proud of her role.

“Well, that’s good to know,” Merlin said, impressed.

They continued on in companionable silence for a while, down another hallway before Gwen pushed open the last door on the left. They entered a small windowless room that felt more like a cave than an office and were greeted with a distracted wave by a thick set guy in black-rimmed Buddy Holly glasses typing up a storm.

“Morning, Kay! We’ve got a new intern,” Gwen said to the man behind the desk. “Merlin, this is Kay. He’ll get you set up with a badge and all your logins and such, and he’ll point you in the right direction once you’re done. I’ll come find you in a few hours.”

She was out the door before Merlin could respond, disappearing in a swirl of dark curls, and leaving him feeling a bit lost and overwhelmed.  

Merlin took a moment to look around the small office: film posters and photos covered the walls, there were action figures, figurines, and empty coffee cups scattered across the desk, and a set of twinkle lights were flashing over a placard that read:

 

**Kay Ector  
Information Security  & Technology**

“So, Merlin, was it?” Kay said, finally looking up at Merlin with a grin, but never slowed his typing. “Welcome to Pendragon, etc.”

Merlin finally noticed that Kay was wearing an IT Crowd shirt that read: “Hello, IT, have you tried turning it off and on again?” Kay caught his gaze, looked down, and laughed, “I will say this to you if you call me and tell me your computer isn’t working, just so we’re clear.”

For the second time, he was startled into laughter.

“Honestly, I’m a little thrown off here,” Merlin admitted. Something about Kay makes him feel instantly comfortable, like he was someone Merlin used to know; familiar and safe, his powers humming in contentment. “You and Gwen are not at all what I expected. I figured there would be a lot more,” he waved his hand towards the door in a way that seemed to encompass everything he had just passed, ”and a lot less,” he gestured at Kay apologetically.

“Ah,” Kay noded in agreement. “Well, it’s just like everywhere else, isn’t it? There’s a hierarchy to these things. I run this department, and since I basically have god powers when it comes to the data around this place, everyone leaves me to my own devices.” He gestured around his office with a ta-da! type gesture.

Merlin cocked an eyebrow at Kay. “Pun intended?”  

“Absolutely,” Kay confirmed, grinning. “You’ll figure this place out soon enough, Young Padawan. Now, have a seat so we can take your badge picture.”

Merlin perched on the stool in front of the camera.

“Nice socks,” Kay commented, eyeing the snitch socks that were revealed as Merlin sat down.

And when the camera went off, it was a genuine smile that split Merlin’s face.

  
By the time Merlin was collected by Gwen, he had a badge with a somewhat decent picture of himself on it hanging from his hip, a company email account, and a brand new MacBook Air. He had also suffered through a supremely boring lecture on company security from an ancient Lawyer who spoke in monotone, and had to sign more NDA’s than he had at any previous job combined.

Their next stop was the Intern Office, or the Tea Party as it was casually called, to drop off his things before lunch. While was getting his accounts set up, Kay had explained the convoluted story behind the name of the “Tea Party.”

“Back when I started it was just the Intern Office, but then there was a group of Interns that were apparently all sleeping with each other, and possibly some of the associates, and so it cleverly became Internal Affairs.” Kay had counted off two fingers on his left hand paused for a second, thinking. “A year or so later, became Infernal Affairs, and then quickly The Departed, which also coincided with a group of interns tried to kill each other. Repeatedly.”

“What?” Merlin had asked, shocked.

“No, seriously,” Kay said. He lifted up a 5th finger, “Recently, they started calling it The Boston Tea Party, because The Boston Everybody Dies Party couldn’t be added as a location to the conference room list.” Kay had leaned in conspiratorially at this point. “Actually, I did add it but Mrs. Pendragon saw it on the list of rooms and insisted it be changed.” He shrugged. “Oh well. Anyway, now it’s just Tea Party.”

Merlin had just blinked as images of the Mad Hatter and the spinning Teacups ride from Disneyland floated through his mind.

Now, standing in the doorway of the office that was visually less exciting than it’s nickname history, he barely had time to notice much more than four desks facing each other in a square, and drop off his stuff before Gwen was ushering him back towards the elevator bank.

She jabbed the button for the 3rd floor and filled the silence by waxing philosophical about the cafeteria offerings. She wasn’t exaggerating, and Merlin found himself overwhelmed by the amount of options available and felt a prickle of panic well inside of him at his indecision. He ended up following Gwen to the salad bar, and then to a table tucked into the corner.

“So, how long have been been with the company?” Merlin inquired a few minutes later after they had both gotten settled and started on their salads.

“Oh gosh, nearly four years now?” Gwen said, biting the side of her lip in concentration. “Wow, it seems so much longer than that.”

“Have you been Mr. Pendragon’s admin the whole time?”

But before Merlin got an answer to his question, Gwen jumped to her feet and began waving a group of people over. “Oh, wonderful, they’re all here,” she exclaimed and stepped to the side to greet the new arrivals.

Merlin gathered that each of the interns had their own Gwen-type escorts for the morning, including a tiny brunette that had been in one of his seminars last semester, who smiled and waved shyly. Merlin hadn’t realized that he’d tensed up until he felt himself relax. It was obscurely comforting to know someone else, however vaguely, in the group already.

“You must be Ben, Elizabeth, and Freya,” Gwen said, beaming at them and shaking each of their hands in turn. “This is Merlin, who was stuck with me this morning. Why don’t you all go grab some lunch and join us?”

The other three interns moved towards the cafe and Gwen sat back down with a smile.

“What were we talking about? Oh right. No, I actually started as just a general office manager, doing work for the other partners, but Uther couldn’t keep his own admin for more than three months at a time,” Gwen explained, continuing their conversation where it had gotten interrupted. “I took on the role temporarily when a huge case was getting ready to go to court, and somehow it worked. Uther didn’t fire me, and I didn’t quit in tears, and so I’ve been there ever since. It’s been, oh, nearly two years now.”

“And yet here you are having lunch with us lowly ‘ol interns,” Merlin quipped.

“I try to have lunch with all of the new interns, I’ll have you know. It’s a tradition,” Gwen snapped, pointing her fork at Merlin, then as her words seemed to catch up to her, she suddenly blushed. “That isn’t to say you aren’t special, or that you’re just like everyone else. I mean, you might be, but I don’t really know you yet, that was what this lunch was for and we’re talking about me, and…” She stammered to a halt.

Merlin laughed, “It’s fine, Gwen.”

“God, you must be wondering how I can be Uther’s Admin when I run at the mouth like that. It’s not usually that bad, I just get excited sometimes and, well,” she shrugged.

“Trust me, I know how it is,” Merlin confessed. “I’m just glad that you’re so down to earth. I was so nervous today. This was my first pick for internships, you know.”

“I did know that!” Gwen exclaimed. “I’m actually on the internship board. We were very impressed with you. Top of your class at UC Berkeley, and doing equally well at USF. I’m surprised you don’t have headhunters knocking on your door already.”

Merlin blushed. “It’s no big deal. Back at home, in Ealdor, it’s way up in Northern California, near Humboldt,” Merlin clarified, taking pity on Gwen’s confused look. “Well, not many people even finished high school, nonetheless went on to college, so I knew I really had to devote myself to something if I wanted to get out and never have to go back. Well, except to visit my mom.”

“It is a big deal,” Gwen stressed, pointing her fork at Merlin, a cucumber slice dangling off the end.

Merlin shrugged again, “I’ve just always known that is what I should be doing, ever since I was a little kid. There was something driving me, if that makes sense.”

Gwen beamed at him. “Well, I think you’ll fit in perfectly around here, if your passion is anything to go by.”

“I hope so,” Merlin said, and he really meant it.

 

By the time lunch was over Merlin had learned that Ben was entering his last year at Stanford Law, brewed his own beer, and loved the Dave Matthews Band (Merlin had to hide his laughter in his bottle of Jone’s Soda at this announcement); Elizabeth was at Santa Clara, had a Golden Retriever named Barkley (after the Sesame Street dog) that she adored more than anything, and a husband that was mentioned as an afterthought; and Freya, who was much more talkative than Merlin remembered from their shared class, was passionate about environmental law, lived in what Merlin suspected might be a quasi-commune in a house that she had inherited from her great aunt in the Upper Height, and seemed to eat nothing but lettuce. They all seemed friendly enough, and Merlin found that he was starting to like them already (love for Dave Matthews Band aside), which, he thought, was a mixed blessing.

“Ok, so,” Gwen began once they had finished lunch and returned to Tea Party. “You’ll all be receiving various basic assignments for the first few weeks. While everything that you do here is important work, this first month is also a way for us to determine which associate you’ll be working with for the rest of your internship. Once everyone is partnered up, the real work begins. Any questions?”

Elizabeth raised her hand slightly and Gwen nodded at her encouragingly. “What if you’re studying a particular type of law?” Her voice was light and smooth, but Merlin noticed that she twirled her blonde curls as she spoke, betraying some of the nervousness that was absent during the casual lunch conversation.

“Of course,” Gwen assured them. “As I’m sure you all know, one of the reasons that Pendragon, La Fey, Du Lac, and Pendragon is so successful is that we have specialists in various branches of law. For example, Uther focuses on Corporate Law, while his wife, Ygraine, does mostly Environmental law. You’ll be paired with an associate that will both challenge you and help guide you down your career path.”

Elizabeth nodded vigorously, excitement plain on her face, and Merlin could tell that she was thinking about the possibilities of who she might end up working with. It was safe to assume that the other interns were as well versed with the firm’s associates as he was, and likely, they had been following someone’s career, as well.

“Any others?” Gwen asked.

Merlin had a ton of burning questions, but his mind had short circuited on the possibility of working with Arthur. Or near Arthur. Hell, he was still getting used to the idea that they would be in the same building.

“Alright,” Gwen said, clapping her hands together like a school teacher. “Why don’t you guys spend the rest of the afternoon getting your desks set up and your accounts in order. We’ll see you bright and early tomorrow, and please let me know if you need anything. My number is in the directory, so you can call me anytime. Or better yet, stop by my desk!”

Gwen shot them all one last amazing smile, before swishing out of Tea Party and down the hall, her heels echoing after her.

Merlin quickly chose one of the desks with his back to the view of The City, opting instead to face the half-frosted glass wall. His excuse was that he was easily distracted by whatever’s going on outside, but truthfully he prefered to be able to see anyone approaching. He adjusted his chair to accommodate his ridiculously long legs, and ran his fingers over the green shaded lamp that he had come to associate with doctors and lawyers. Everything felt suddenly real and official as he sat as his desk, especially when he looked down to see his own lopsided grin on his security badge.

They were making tentative plans to go out for dinner and drinks on Friday to celebrate making it through their first week, when it happened. Ben and Elizabeth, who both lived outside of The City and were commuting in, were asking Freya for venue suggestions, when one Merlin’s favorite places was suggested. He looked up to give Starbelly a resounding thumbs-up at the exact moment that Arthur Pendragon walked passed Tea Party. Merlin froze mid sentence as Arthur glanced into the room, his eyes sweeping across the new batch of interns and landing on Merlin. As their gaze locked, Merlin felt an unexpected rush of silence as his vision narrowed. The hair on his arms stood on end, and suddenly the iconic green desk lamp was cracking into pieces and everyone in the room was at his side, making a fuss and cursing bad wiring.

By the time Merlin looked back up, Arthur had gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Hunith Emrys had always told Merlin that his father was a sea god that washed ashore and that he had fallen in love with her as she nursed him back to health.  As a child, Merlin wasn’t sure any of that was true, but he figured if his dad was sea god, he probably controlled all the pirates in the world (Merlin was obsessed with pirates), and maybe it explained why all the other moms in town liked to talk to him so much.

Balinor was rugged, well muscled, and spoke with a lilting Dublin accent that more than twenty years in America couldn’t dull. A well-known fixture in the community, he owned a business designing and building custom yachts which directly and indirectly employed a large part of the town’s population, and put Ealdor on the map – at least in the boating community.

Merlin was six years old when Balinor became a local hero. One September morning there had been a fire at the workshop and through some stroke of luck Balinor was able to get all of his employees to safety. There was only minor damage on the workshop itself, and nearly all of his custom designs remained unscathed.

The Emrys Yachts became even more popular when the local news broke the story of Balinor’s heroics, declaring him as sturdy and magical as the ships that he built. He shrugged off the praise and, in an interview, told the Ealdor Daily that he wanted nothing more than to make exceptional boats, and to maybe have a Sandwich named after him at Nibble Nook.

Merlin didn’t know much about his dad’s work, only that he made awesome boats (“just like pirates use,” he would tell his classmates), and that his sandwich had the perfect amount of melted cheese in it (and was even better when you stuck sour cream and onion chips inside). All Merlin knew was that for a while after the whole “fire thing” people always wanted to shake his father’s hand, bake his mom casseroles, and ruffle his hair.

Mostly, none of this affected Merlin’s childhood. Every now and them some magazine would want to take pictures of his dad’s boats, and then pictures of the family. He would stand there in his miniature khaki shorts and polo shirt (his “boating outfit,” as his mom called it), flanked by his parents on both sides, a mop of dark hair covering his large ears, but doing nothing to disguise his mischievous grin. And when the story would run, the excitement over the Emrys family would rise again, and Merlin would have new a new eager audience to tell about the Pirate Ships his father built – ”Just like the Dread Pirate Roberts would sail,” he would say.

Merlin was fourteen when his father died, shot to death outside of his house on a warm May evening, arms outstretched in surrender, face frozen in shock. Merlin had been in his room finishing his homework when he heard a noise and got to the window in time to see his father’s body collapse in the pale glow of the streetlight. Merlin screamed. And screamed. And screamed. Until everything went black.

The next few months passed in a blur. It wasn't until much later that Merlin learned what really happened that night. He learned that Cenred Essetir, youngest son of the fishing tycoon, Lex Essetir, had not only shot his father, but was also responsible for the workshop fire eight years earlier. There had been numerous attempts at sabotage before Cenred resorted to murder, but in the end, it had all been an attempt to win his father’s respect after Balinor had rejected multiple buyout offers.

He learned that his mother had come to find Merlin first, his screams sending her running into his bedroom. She had found him on his knees, gripping the windowsill with white knuckles, eyes distant and unfocused, mouth frozen in a now-silent scream. It was from there that she saw the body of her husband, crumpled on the ground, still and lifeless, and haloed in the spotlight of the one illuminated streetlight in the whole of Ealdor.

Merlin learned that at the same time as his father’s murder, there was an unexpected citywide blackout. Merlin didn’t need anyone to tell him the truth; he knew that he had caused that blackout. The moment his father’s life had expired, he had felt the spark that had flowed into his own being. He knew instinctively, the way that a person knew that breathing was good and that pain was bad, that the power had come from his father. He knew that when people described his father’s work as magical it wasn’t mere hyperbole, and he suddenly knew how his father had saved all those men’s lives.

Merlin was 17 when Cenred Essetir was found not guilty. The jury agreed that on the night of May 27th it was impossible to place anyone anywhere due to the citywide blackout, and that Merlin was an unreliable witness because of his hysterics that night; he could have been looking at any scruffy looking man in his late 20s. Merlin sat stoically in the courtroom as his mother burst into tears and sobbed into his shoulder; he sat there and decided that he would change things, that people like Cenred would be punished for the lives they destroyed.

Merlin knew that he could use the power inside of him for good, to help people. Yet try as he might, he could no longer create beautiful things like his father did. That chance had been taken away from him with the pull of a trigger.

Merlin was 18 the first time he killed. Cenred was sound asleep when Merlin approached his bed and let the coils of power bind his arms and legs. Cenred’s eyes shot open and they locked with Merlin’s – brown meeting blue rimmed with gold.

“I’ll see you in hell,” Merlin said.

Cenred had opened his mouth, perhaps to scream, maybe to protest, but Merlin held out his hand, palm down over Cenred’s chest and squeezed his fingers into a fist. There was a spasm across Cenred’s face as his heart constricted and then stopped, and then Cenred was gone.

A sense of relief washed over Merlin, and for the first time since his father died he laughed.

Two weeks later, Merlin was accepted into UC Berkeley and declared Pre-Law as his major.

 

~~~~

 

It was late on a Wednesday evening, three weeks into his internship, by the time Merlin was able to get a meeting with his Mentor. The retired judge wasn't initially Merlin’s first choice for an academic mentor, he would have preferred someone younger and who had experience in the job market more recently. But when he found out the the Honorable Giaus Wilson had once taken a special interest in his father’s case, Merlin jumped at the opportunity.

“Ah, Mr. Emry,” Giaus said, holding the door to his office wide and ushering Merlin inside. “It has been far too long since you graced me with your presence. I take it your internship is keeping you busy.”

The way Gaius spoke always reminded Merlin of Fraiser Crane, which often had the effect of making him feel supremely undereducated. Combined with the impressive personal library that made up most of Gaius’ office and his impeccable in taste in suits, Merlin had been more than a little intimidated the first time they had gotten together to discuss his academic career. However, once Gaius had offered him a drink, Merlin relaxed enough to realize that Gaius genuinely wanted to help him.

From there, it has been a quick evolution from academic mentor to more of a friend. And once Merlin opened up about the memories of his father and his father’s case, well, it turned out that there could not have been a more perfect match for Merlin.

“Very busy,” Merlin agreed, sliding into the offered armchair. Gaius sat down opposite and offered him a glass of the Italian red wine he favored. “I don’t want to complain because it was my dream internship, but it’s like we’re doing busy work right now. I know this is how they determine the assignments with the associates, but honestly, it feels like they’ve just stored up a years worth of filing and waited for the next batch of interns to show up.”

Gaius chuckled, “Oh, they likely did. That’s what I used to make my clerks do when they first started.”

“Nice,” Merlin remarked. “So glad I’ve studied my ass off to be a glorified secretary.”

“We all have to pay our dues, Merlin,” Gaius said sagely. “If everything we wanted in life came easily, we would never appreciate it.”

Merlin hummed an agreement of sorts as he sipped his wine. Gaius chuckled again.

“But seriously,” Merlin said, setting his wine down and leaning forward with his forearms on his thighs. “At first I thought they were just getting me to do the grunt work, but I think I may have found something in the backlog.”

“Something pertaining to an old case?” Gaius asked.

“Sort of?”

“Merlin, in law there is never a ‘sort of,’” Gaius scolded.

“When we first got the backlog I tried to pull as many of Arthur Pendragon’s cases as possible,” Merlin began, feeling the flush spread across his cheeks. Gaius just waved his hand for Merlin to continue. “The first few boxes were full of things from Arthur’s early cases with the firm, they were pretty organized, just needed to be put in chronological order, sent down to the archives, small things like that. But then I got to the first box that was from the Avalon case, and it wasn’t just notes and statements and press clippings. There were piles and piles of mail.”

“I would expect so. It was a very high profile and controversial case,” Gaius said. “Those types of cases tend to bring out the passion in people.”

“Oh, there was that. In abundance,” Merlin agreed. “Both good and bad, actually. But eventually I came across a series of letters that, uh, stood out to me.”

Gaius leaned forward at this announcement. “Stood out in what way?”

“Well, they were written in that movie ransom note style, you know? With letters cut out of magazines and stuff. But it was more than that. They _stood out_ ,” Merlin emphasized the phrase, “like they _wanted_ to be found. It was like a nagging feeling, like I knew they were there, but had forgotten about them until I saw them again. Does that make sense?”

“Well, it’s not unheard of,” Gaius said slowly. “Objects hold power, and words hold even more. The latent power in these letters could have sensed your own and sought you out regardless of the original intent behind their creation.” Gaius paused and studied Merlin carefully. “How has your power been behaving?”

Merlin looked startled. “Uh, fine?”

“Is that a question?” Gaius asked pointedly. “Because I heard that on your first day you had a bit of trouble with some bad wiring at your desk.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“I am very old friends with Geoffrey Mounmouth,” Gaius said by way of explanation.

“I don’t know what happened there. One minute we were all talking about getting drinks and then suddenly my lamp was exploding!”

“Nothing else happened?”

“Oh, well, there was this one thing,” Merlin lowered his head, embarrassed. “See, as we were talking Arthur walked by and our eyes met, just for a second––” Merlin trailed off.

“When Arthur went by? Hmmm.” Gaius sat thoughtfully for a moment, studying Merlin. “We’ll come back to that. Now, about those letters you found.”

“Right. They start as mostly persuasive trying to get Arthur to give up the case, but as the trial progressed, they got more and more threatening,” Merlin explained. “I went down to Monmouth and he pulled a bunch of historical cases with threats, but said that nothing ever came from any of them as far as he knew. And, hey, if you’re such good friends, shouldn’t you already know this?”

“He may have also mentioned you were researching something outside of your, what did you call it, busy work,” Gaius admitted.

“Figures,” Merlin laughed. “Anyway, I’ve also been going to visit our Info and Security guy and we’ve been trying to track down who's sending these letters.”

“Still sending?” Gaius asked, concerned.

“It seems so. The most recent one was about a month back,” Merlin told him. “And get this. They’re all signed with a giant red _V for Vendetta_ V.”

Merlin took in the long suffering look on Gaius’ face and elaborated, “It’s a graphic novel and movie. The the symbol is a red V with a circle around it. Kinda like an upside down Anarchy sign?”

“Have you gotten the authorities involved?”

“I’ve been talking to Kay, he’s the IS&T guy, and he thinks they seem harmless. They’re just coming in with the regular mail, no real escalation in timing or level of threat, but––”

“But they stand out to you,” Gaius prompted.

“Yeah.”

They both lapsed into silence, Gaius sipping his wine thoughtfully, Merlin fiddling with his glass.

“Merlin, have you considered the possibility that you’re supposed to be protecting Arthur?” Gaius said eventually.

“Protecting him?”

“Yes, protecting him. Your magic is reacting in ways that it hasn’t since your father’s death,” Gaius said. “Maybe there is a reason that you got this internship. Maybe there is a reason that you’re in that office.” Gaius paused then said pointedly, “Maybe there’s a reason that you’re drawn to the young Pendragon.”

Merlin’s mouth had fallen open half way through Gaius’s theorizing.

“Look, I’ll be the first to admit that Arthur looks amazing in a suit, and his short law career is inspirational, for lack of a better word. But he seems like a dick,” Merlin protested. “All of the other associates have made an effort to come down and talk to us lowly interns, get to know us a little bit. Aside from that inauspicious meeting of the eyes, I haven’t seen so much as Arthur’s shadow around the building. So, no, I really don’t think I’m supposed to be protecting him.”

Gaius raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

“I mean, I’m going to keep looking into these letters,” Merlin added.

Gaius’s eyebrow arched even higher; Merlin sighed.

“Look, I’ll do what I can, OK? I’ll call the police or if I need to do something to help,” Merlin wiggled his fingers, “then I will. But I’m not saying you’re right and I’m not making any other promises.”

Gaius smiled triumphantly, and Merlin got the sinking feeling that he’d just agreed to a lot more than what was said.

“Well, now that’s settled,” Gaius said reaching for the wine bottle and topping off both of their drinks, “let me tell you about this case study I’m writing.”

 

~~~~

 

“Before you say no, let me preface this by saying that you are the most amazing person in the known universe, and probably the unknown universe, too, and if flattery is not enough, I also brought you a Philz coffee and slice of banana-pumpkin bread to bribe you with.”

Merlin stood in the doorway to Kay’s office holding out a cup of coffee and a white pastry bag like a divine offering.

“Should I be worried?” Kay asked, snatching the coffee out of Merlin’s hand and smelling it with a loving sigh. “I should be worried.”

“No, why would you be worried?” Merlin innocently asked.

“You show up at my office first thing in the morning with compliments and coffee, of course I’m worried. If this was a normal favor, you wouldn’t be trying to butter me up first.”

“Maybe I just like you?” Merlin suggested. Kay gave him an incredulous look. “Fine fine. I mean, I do like you, but I do also really need your help.”

“This is about the V letters, right?”

“Yeah, so I went and made friends with Craig down in the mailroom, and he’s been letting me know when new ones come in,” Merlin confirmed. “And now we have a problem.”

“Now?” Kay deadpanned.

“Well, now we have a bigger problem,” Merlin clarified. “Arthur’s new case went to court last week and it’s been all over the media.”

The press was having a field day, running exposés on Arthur’s career and recapping the Avalon case, all hoping to break another huge story.

Kay understood where this was going. “The letters have increased.”

“The letters have increased.”

“So what do you want me to do in exchange for this life-changing coffee?” Kay asked after considering Merlin for a moment.

“What you do best,” Merlin said. “I know that you can do more than just set up accounts and, you know, asking people if they’ve turned their computers off and then back on.”

“Gimme that,” Kay said, laughing as he snatched the heretofore forgotten pastry bag out of Merlin’s hands. “And now get out, I need to concentrate.”

“You’ll help?”

“Yes, now get out. I’ll let you know when I’ve found something.”

“You’re the best,” Merlin insisted.

“Damn right I am. Oh, and Merlin,” Kay called as Merlin pushed the door open, already typing. “Then we’re going to the cops, OK?”

“Of course, Kay,” Merlin agreed, pushing all thoughts of Gaius and any promises he may have made out of his head. “I just want to give them something solid.”

 “Don’t worry, my good man,” Kay said, looking up one more time to wink at Merlin. “I’m on it.”

 

~~~~

 

“John Valentino,” Kay said, dropping a manilla folder onto Merlin’s desk. “AKA Valiant. Ex-Military, current Rent-A-Cop at Westfield Mall, has ties with the Oakland Chapter of the Hell’s Angels, and, oh this is interesting, he spent part of his childhood in Avalon with Kara before his parents split up and his mom left, taking him with her.”

Merlin had paused with a sandwich halfway to his mouth when Kay dropped the file on his desk. He blinked, looked down at the file, back up at Kay, then slowly set his sandwich down.

It had been nearly a week and Merlin had been on edge the whole time: Arthur was getting extreme media coverage; new letters were arriving daily, each with an increasing level of aggression; and to top it all off, it was the last week of the general assignments before the intern class was partnered with an associate to work with for the rest of the year. Staring at that envelope on his desk, Merlin thought he would cry out of sheer relief.

“Oh my god,” Merli breathed, fingers ghosting over the folder. “You did it.

“Told you I could,” Kay said, flashing Merlin a grin. “But finding him isn’t the problem. Getting anyone to believe us – that’s the problem.”

“What?” Merlin choked.

“Look, Merlin, I know I said I’d come to you first, but there’s a real threat here,” Kay said sheepishly. “I’ve been in contact with a friend of my dad’s on the force about this since you mentioned that the letters had increased in frequency.”

“Uh,” Merlin was shocked.

“Or at least it seems like there could be a real threat here,” Kay clarified. “Joe, that’s my dad’s friend, he’s been looking over copies of the letters, and they’ve checked out this Valiant guy, but nothing’s come up so far.”

“How can nothing come up?” Merlin asked, astonished. “You found him, didn’t you? You tracked him down and know he was sending the letters. Hell, Kay, he has ties to Avalon!”

“They’re following protocol,” Kay shrugged.

Merlin clenched his hands into fists and shoved them under his legs. He could feel the anger, the frustration, the exhaustion pushing against his power, threatening to bleed through his skin and into the room.  

“Look, you did a good thing, man,” Kay said, strolling towards the door and unaware anything was off with Merlin. “You found a threat and we’ve let the right people know. You’ll be a great lawyer at this rate – finding breaks in cases and all. But on this one, now we let the professionals handle it. Anyway, come visit when you’ve gotten yourself partnered up, Merlin. Laters.”

And then Kay was walking out of the room.

Merlin felt his legs shaking, and he pressed his fingernails into his palms in an attempt to calm down, to gain control. He closed his eyes, breathing deep. He had to focus.

He thought about his last case study: The Avalon Case. He knew the details forward and backwards. When 16-year-old Kara Avalon’s body had been found, her boyfriend Mordred Avalon was the first suspect. They had both been raised in the same commune in the Berkeley Hills and shared the same last name, though they weren’t related. The media latched on to it as a cult murder, and 17-year-old Mordred was thrust into the spotlight as The Villain.  

The media was shocked when Arthur Pendragon took Mordred’s case. From the beginning, Arthur had been fully convinced that Mordred was innocent, and defended him as such.  There were no trick defences, no blaming the way they were raised, unlike the District Attorney who ripped apart Avalon Commune and all of their members in their crusade to convict Mordred. No, Arthur spent every moment of the case reiterating Mordred's innocence, adamant that it was an outsider who had killed Kara.

The whole case was a media circus. No one seemed to care that Mordred hadn’t been convicted; he was an easy target – he was strange and quiet and wouldn’t talk about life on the commune. Even after Arthur had successfully secured Mordred a not guilty verdict, the media didn’t relent, and there were still people who believed that Mordred was guilty.

Merlin’s eyes shot open.

If Valiant believed that Arthur helped Mordred get away with murder… If Valiant believed that Arthur was the reason that his friend’s murderer remained unpunished… If Valiant now thought that Arthur was going to help acquit another guilty person, that would explain the increase in letters.

Merlin looked down and caught his reflection on his laptop screen, eyes rimmed with gold, flush high across his cheeks like a fever. He loosened his fingers and felt the relief of power flow unrestricted through his limbs again, reacting angrily to the envelope on his desk.

He couldn’t deny what his magic was reaching out for, and he wouldn’t idly wait for the proper authorities to act. His father had died because of a grudge and he wouldn’t let the same thing happen again, not when he could prevent it.  

He would do what he had to do.  

He would protect Arthur.

 

~~~~

 

Merlin pulled his peacoat tighter around his body as he marched down Market Street, heading for the BART station. The summer fog was hanging low in the evening sky, and it dulled the noise of The City into a hum of white noise. It left Merlin alone with his thoughts as he rode the escalator down into the tunnel and boarded an eastbound train.

It wasn’t the first time Merlin had made this trip.  Ever since Kay had strolled in to Tea Party earlier that week with the news that he had handed the case over to the police, Merlin had been on edge. That first afternoon he went through every letter that had been received since the Avalon case looking for… _something_. As he had told Gaius, the letters were reaching out to him, he just wasn’t sure why. Eventually, and in a fit of frustrated spontaneity, Merlin had gone out to find Valiant himself.

The first night, Merlin had cautiously walked past Valiant’s apartment building as if waiting for something disastrous to happen, then hightailed it back to the BART. The second night, he had parked himself across the street and watched the shapes moving behind the curtains in the second floor window for hours. The third night, he watched Valiant leave his apartment and followed him down the street to a bar where Merlin had sat in a dark corner drinking club soda and watching him play pool as if he got no enjoyment from the game.

Each night Merlin was returning home later and later, and it was taking its toll. Gwaine hadn’t outright asked Merlin what was going on, but Merlin had been on the receiving end of quite a few skeptical looks as they passed each other in the mornings. In the office, both Freya and Elizabeth had asked Merlin if he was feel well, Ben nodding in agreement when Elizabeth pointed out that his normally pale skin was even paler than usual. And just that morning Merlin had gotten to his desk to find that Freya had left a bottle of some sort or herbal remedy with a smiley face post-it stuck to the side.  

It was now Friday afternoon and the train car was packed with people getting an early start on the weekend. He was forced to stand near the doors, sandwiched between other riders. As the train descended under the bay and the tunnel’s darkness turned the windows into mirrors, Merlin caught his own reflection: clenched jaw, and gold-rimmed eyes. He had never seen his eyes like this when he wasn’t actively using his powers, and the rush of panic caused his eyes to flash brighter as he struggled for control. He was exhausted and pushing down his power was an effort as he breathed deep, calming breaths until his eyes were once again completely blue.

As soon Merlin turned onto Valiant’s street he knew something was different. There was something in the air, the feeling of action and intent – like the static before a thunder storm. Merlin studied the apartment building. From the outside it looked the same as it had all week, but there was that humming under his skin, stronger than ever and trying to break free. That _something_ that kept reaching out to him, telling him that things were different.

A chime went off, startling Merlin. He reached into his pocket and thumbed open the text message from Will.

WILL (@ 3:34 PM): Your law boyfriend is on tv right now. Elena says hes looking good. Thought you should know.

MERLIN (@ 3:36 PM): On tv where?

WILL (@ 3:38 PM): Shouldn’t you know this? Don’t you work for him? I thought the office would be all a flutter.

A door slammed across the street and Merlin looked up in time to see Valiant descend his steps and turn down the street.  Merlin stood frozen for a moment as he watched the entwined snakes on the back of Valiant’s leather jacket vanish around the corner.

Merlin swore under his breath and hurried after him, back towards the Ashby BART station he had just left. He shot off another text to Will as he waited for the light at the corner to change.

MERLIN (@ 3:38 PM): No. Where is he?

WILL (@ 3:39 PM): At the courthouse. Theres supposed to be some sorta press conference in an hour? They keep showing clips of him arriving this morning.

MERLIN (@ 3:39 PM): FUCK.

When the light finally changed, Merlin shoved the phone back into his pocket and ran the rest of the way. He barely managed to keep Valiant in view as he boarded the train and it was only when Merlin was safely tucked into the other side of the same car, and felt everything speed back up, that he realized he had slowed time.

Merlin took the opportunity to study the man. He was in his mid-thirties and projected an air of calm, seemingly unaffected by the loud conversations happening around him. He didn’t read, or play with his phone, or listen to music during the ride. Arm raised to grab the bar above his head, he stood still, aside from the rocking of the car, and stared at the floor in front of his feet until they reached the Civic Center stop.

Merlin followed Valiant up and out of the tunnel, down Market Street, and on to Hyde. Valiant strolled along humming and walking as if he had all the time in the world. But it was clear that he was heading towards the throng of reporters camped out in front of the Court House.

Merlin’s pocket buzzed again and pulled out his phone as he joined the reporters, keeping one eye on Valiant as he hovered at the edge of the crowed. He had a slew of texts.

WILL (@ 3:42 PM): Whats wrong?

WILL (@ 3:47 PM): Are you ok?

GWAINE (@ 4:02 PM): Txt Will back. Hes asking if your mad at him.

GWAINE (@ 4:03 PM): Unless your dead. Or mad at him.

GWAINE (@ 4:03 PM): Actually if your not dead just txt him back so he stops bugging me.

WILL (@ 4:07 PM): DUDE YOU CAN’T JUST SAY FUCK AND THEN NOT RESPOND.

Merlin groaned and texted Will back.

MERLIN (@ 4:15 PM): Sorry sorry! Was on bart. Bad signal. I’m fine. At the courthouse. See you later tonight.

He pocketed his phone again and weaved his way through the crowd so he could keep both Valiant and the courthouse door in his line of sight. He was a little surprised to see this much media, but then again, Merlin hadn’t been doing a good job keeping up with Arthur’s current case – he had been too focused on letters. He would have to remedy that and soon.

A rumble erupted in the crowd and Merlin watched as Valiant’s jaw clenched, betraying the first sign of real emotion he had seen on the man. He followed Valiant’s line of sight and saw Arthur emerge from the court with a band of others.

Arthur approached the podium looking the picture of professionalism in a perfectly cut charcoal suit with a deep red tie. Merlin’s breath caught as the sun glinted off his blonde hair, and he completely missed the beginning of Arthur’s statement. He shook his head, like a dog coming out of water.  He couldn’t afford to be distracted, not with Valiant only feet away and staring at Arthur as intently as Merlin, but with pure disgust writ across his face.

“I’ve been very upfront in the past about only defending clients that I truly believe are innocent,” Arthur was saying, “and nothing has changed. We are not accepting any deals, and we’ll be seeking a not guilty verdict.”

Merlin saw Valiant clench his fists at this declaration, further betraying his true feelings. As the reporters at the front of the crowd began asking Arthur questions, Valiant moved away from the crowd to lean comfortably against a tree, settling in with his legs crossed at the ankles and arms across his chest.

As soon as Merlin realized they were in for a long wait, he let his power seep out, cloaking him from sight. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he didn't need Valiant noticing him. Time passed slowly as he paced under a nearby tree, playing with his phone while he waited.

Despite the longer summer days, the fog caused the sky to darken early and the cold to seep into Merlin’s bones and he took to bouncing on his toes to keep warm. But he was quickly becoming impatient; his fingers were turning purple, he was dying for a coffee, but more importantly, he had no idea why Valiant hadn't moved yet.

Just when Merlin’s limbs had reached a coldness he wasn’t sure would ever recide, Valiant suddenly stood at attention. Scrambling to his feet, Merlin saw that Arthur was finally exiting the courthouse, shaking hands with some other men in suits, then heading off on his own towards the underground lot. Valiant followed, and so did Merlin.

Even though Merlin knew that he couldn't be seen, as he watched Valiant stalk Arthur down into the parking garage, Merlin wondered just what the hell he had gotten himself into.

Once Arthur was away from the stairwell, Valiant burst from the shadows, knocking his keys and phone out of his hands and backing him against a pillar. Merlin, who was hesitating in doorway to the stairs, had to stifle the overwhelming impulse to rush forward and throw himself between Valiant and Arthur. He still hadn’t said two words to Arthur, and yet there he was, trying to protect him from a mad man.

“You let him get away with it!” Valiant screamed. “She died and that bastard got away with it because of you!”

“I’m sorry if you think I’ve done you wrong,” Arthur said in a placating tone, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I promise you, if anyone was guilty I wouldn’t have defended them.”

“Liar!” Valiant spat. He stepped forward, brandishing a switch blade. “Let’s see if anyone brings your killer to justice. Let’s see if after you’re gone anyone cares about you the way that I cared about her.”

“Look, man, I do care,” Arthur said, voice amazingly calm. “If there is anything I can do to help you get justice...”

The look of pure disgust on Valiant’s face was staggering. “I’ve written to you, begging you to change your mind. To see reason and realize he was the one who did it!” Valiant choked. “But you didn’t care. You only wanted to win the case. To become the the prince of your daddy’s firm.”

“I’m sorry, but I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Arthur repeated, desperation rising in his voice. “I’ve never received any letters! I swear!”

Valiant’s eyes flashed and he stepped forward again, raising the knife. “Kara was like my sister. She was the only one who ever meant anything to me.”

Merlin watched in slow motion as Arthur’s eyes opened wide in shock when he finally realized who Valiant was yelling about. The orange overhead lights glinted off of the knife as Valiant swung it in an arc, and then Merlin made his move.

His eyes flashed and the glass in all of the near by cars cracked, and the security cameras shattered. With one hand he flung Arthur back and winced as he heard his head hit the side of his own car. But he was out of the way, and that’s all that mattered to Merlin as he rounded on Valiant.

“Back off,” Merlin snarled, letting the veil of invisibility drop as he confronted Valiant.

“Get out of my fucking way,” Valiant roared.

If he was startled to see Merlin appear as if from nowhere, he didn’t show it. He was too focused on Arthur.

“Never.”

Valiant charged forward but Merlin raised a hand and held him in place. Valiant’s eyes opened in an almost comical shock as he struggled against the magical hold.

“You don’t have to do this. Killing Arthur won’t bring Kara back,” Merlin said trying to keep his voice steady and not betray his fear.

“Maybe not, but someone should pay for her death,” Valiant spat. “First Pendragon, then that Mordred scum.”

“No,” Merlin said, calm and clear as he finally understood what he had to do. “I can’t let you do that.”

Merlin slowly raised his arm and held a finger up to his throat. In front of him, Valiant’s arm moved on it’s own, mirroring Merlin’s motion and holding his knife to his own throat. Valiant’s opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. And then Merlin slid his finger across the front of his neck in one quick, swift movement. Valiant’s eyes widened terror as he suddenly realized what was about to happen. But it was too late. His arm had already followed Merlin’s across his neck.

Valiant collapsed and Merlin watched the life slip away from him as he bleed out on the concrete floor.

He took a step back and looked between Valiant’s dead body and Arthur’s unconscious one, and in a final burst of what little power he had left, wiped the last few minutes of Arthur’s memory.

Finally, as he felt his powers settle back into his bones Merlin stumbled back towards the stairs and dialed 9-1-1 on his phone.

“There’s been a mugging, I think. In the McAllister lot,” he said when the operator answered. “Come quick.”

And then he hung up.

He wasn’t sure if he had taken a bus or had dazedly stumbled the near mile home, but the next thing he knew he was suddenly pushing open the door to his apartment. He managed to make it to the bathroom before the tremors started and he fell to his knees, real panic settling in.

Merlin scrubbed his hands over his face and choked back a sound that was somewhere between a sob and laugh as he was suddenly aware of the erection pressing against his fly. He pressed his hand down against himself and his mind flashed to standing protectively over Arthur’s prone body...Valiant frozen in front of him, with a single gesture he'd...

Merlin came with a strangled cry and nothing more than the pressure of his hand through his pants.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Merlin had been in a daze all weekend after the confrontation, and it carried over to the office on Monday morning, so he felt that he should be forgiven when he suddenly found himself with coffee being shoved into his hands, and alone with Arthur in his office.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t been aware of Gwen coming into the Tea Party and announcing the new Intern assignments, he just felt removed, as if he was watching the events play out before him as a silent observer. He felt like a ghost as he hugged Elizabeth in congratulations when she paired with Morgana Le Fey to focus on entertainment law; as he jumped up and down with Freya in celebration of her partnership with Lancelot Du Lac in environmental policy; and as Ben had high-fived him when it was announced that they would be working with Leon Cross and Arthur, respectively, in criminal defence. It was like a vivid dream, wonderful but removed from reality.

Merlin took a sip of his coffee and found Arthur leaning forward and snapping his fingers in front of his eyes.

“You still with me?” he asked. “You looked like you zoned out for a second.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Merlin said quickly, face flushing. “Long weekend and not enough caffeine.”

“Tell me about it,” Arthur agreed and rubbed self consciously at the scrapes on his cheek bone. Merlin felt a clench in his stomach in response.

“Oh god, right. I heard you were mugged? Are you ok?”

“Yeah, no, I’m fine,” Arthur said, with a slightly confused look on his face. “The cops say that I got caught in the middle of some sort of planned attack. The guy who tried to mug me apparently has a lot of enemies.”

“Oh, wow.”

Merlin avoided looking directly at Arthur, worried that he might give something away. Arthur, on the other hand, was studying Merlin with intent.

“Want to know the crazy part?” Arthur asked. “I got stopped by Kay this morning, and he told me an interesting story about some threatening letters.”

Merlin’s head shot up and all residual foggy feelings were instantly gone.

“And he said that you found them,” Arthur continued, unaware of Merlin’s shocked expression. “He said that you found the letters and had been trying to figure out who was sending them. Is that true?”

“Yes,” Merlin admitted.

“Why didn’t you come to me and tell me I was in danger?” Arthur asked.

Why didn’t Merlin approach Arthur? He wasn’t sure if he could, they had never spoken, and Merlin wasn’t even sure that Arthur knew who he was before today. He also had assumed that when Kay contacted the police, he let the higher ups within the firm know as well. After all, it wasn’t until Kay went to the police that they thought the letters held a real threat.

“Well, I, uh, thought that Kay might have––” Merlin stammered.

“Do you know why I requested you as my intern?” Arthur interrupted, with regal swipe of his hand.

Merlin’s head was spinning from the abrupt change in the direction of the conversation.

“No.”

“You found something that everyone else had missed. You found a pattern and you investigated it and followed through,” Arthur explained. “I wondered what else you can find.”

“But, you were nearly attacked!” Merlin exclaimed. “I didn’t find the pattern quick enough.”

Arthur grinned at Merlin. “And that’s reason number two. You’re dedicated to what you do.”

“And you’re rather nonchalant about the fact that you were nearly killed,” Merlin observed.

Arthur shrugged as if it was something that happened all the time, and maybe it was. Merlin had no idea. But Merlin felt certain that he was staring slack jawed at Arthur.

Arthur moved from where he had been leaning against his desk and sat down in his leather chair.

“Here’s the thing, Merlin,” Arthur said, and his voice was much more serious than it had been. “I know that Kay would have taken this information to Security. So, the question is why didn’t security do anything about the threat? Why didn’t he notify me?”

Merlin was confused. “Isn’t Kay in security?”

“ _Security_ security, not _information_ security,” Arthur clarified. He leaned forward on his elbows and stared right into Merlin’s eyes. “So, what I want you to do is find out what else he’s been keeping from me.”

“What?” Merlin asked, shocked.

“I would think that a threat to the son of two name partners, not to mention a high level associate, would warrant at least some heightened security,” Arthur said. “So, if he’s kept a threat to my life a secret, what else is he hiding?”

“Who?” Merlin asked.

“The head of security is Agravaine de Bois. My uncle.”

“So,” said Merlin slowly, “you want me to figure out what your uncle, the head of security, has been hiding from you.”

“Excellent summation, Merlin. Yes, that is what I want you to do,” Arthur confirmed. “And also, I need to you organize my current case files. They’re a mess.”

 

~~~~

 

Merlin managed to avoid Gaius for nearly a month after his encounter with Valiant, but he knew he would have to face his mentor at some point. In the interim, he busied himself with making inquiries to Kay and Geoffrey about more of Arthur’s old cases – now that he was officially working for Arthur it was much easier to access his files. And when he wasn’t rifling through old files, he was helping Arthur with his daily court prep.

Still, Merlin knew it was only a matter of time before he had to account for what happened with Valiant, so he wasn’t all that shocked when he was finally cornered by Gaius at the USF Law Library.

“I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for a few weeks, Merlin,” Gaius said, appearing like a ghost from out of the rows of reference books.

“I’m sorry, I’ve just be super busy,” Merlin explained.

Gaius raised his eyebrows suspiciously. “Perhaps I could encroach on your time for just a few minutes, then.”

“Oh, well,” Merlin said gesturing at the spread of books in front of him on the large table.

“Splendid,” Gaius said taking a seat as if Merlin hadn’t just tried to brush him off.

It was late afternoon on a Saturday and the library was virtually empty. Still, Merlin wasn’t looking forward to answering the questions that he knew Gaius was going to ask in a public place, regardless of how populated it was at the moment.

Merlin lowered himself back into his seat and tried to paste a happy and unconcerned smile on his face as he watched Gaius make himself comfortable.

“A rumor has reached me,” Gaius said, watching Merlin intently, “that you’ve been asked to work directly with Arthur Pendragon. Now, if I recall, this was what you wanted the most when you applied for the Pendragon Internship. So I have to ask myself, why haven’t you called me to share your good new, Merlin?”

A rush of shame filled Merlin’s chest. The excitement of being chosen to work with Arthur was overshadowed in Merlin’s head by his encounter with Valiant, overshadowed by his second killing.

“I’m sorry, Gaius,” Merlin said with feeling. “I kept meaning to call you, but honestly, I really have been busy.”

“And here I was thinking you were avoiding me,” Gaius said dryly.

“Why you think that?” Merlin asked.

He immediately regretted asking this question as Gaius cocked an eyebrow at him curiously.

“Perhaps because you don’t want to discuss the John “Valiant” Valentino situation,” Gaius suggested.

“Why should I want to discuss him?”

Gaius looked pointedly at Merlin.

“I don’t know what you’re expecting me to say. Kay went to the police when we found out who was sending the letters, and yeah, ok, I may have watched him a few times,” Merlin lied.

“You don’t find it interesting that all the car windows and the security cameras were blown out? Blown out as if by a small explosion?” Gaius asked. “Or that he was attacked at the same time he tried to attack Arthur?”

Merlin shrugged. “He had a lot of enemies.”

“Merlin,” Gaius said in an exasperated sigh.

“Look, Arthur’s safe, right? So, who cares what happened to Valiant? He wasn’t a good guy,” Merlin justified.

“No, he wasn’t,” Gaius agreed. “But, Merlin, you are studying to be a lawyer. What happens if you start taking the law into your own hands?”

Merlin stared down at the table in silence. Gaius gave him one more long calculating look before he slid the chair back and stood, squeezing Merlin’s shoulder as he walked past.

“I guess we’ll burn that bridge when we get to it, won’t we, son?” Gaius asked.

“I think the expression is _cross_ that bridge’” Merlin said, looking up into the serious face of his mentor.

“We shall see, Merlin. We shall see.”

And with that, Gaius left Merlin alone with his research.

 

~~~~

 

“You’re basically a secretary, mate,” Gwaine said.

“I’m not a secretary,” Merlin repeated. Again.

He really wasn’t up for this conversation, not after his disastrous meeting with Gaius.  He just wanted Gwaine to distract him.  He should have called Will.

“You’re organizing and filing things, yeah?” Gwaine asked. “You’re hardly getting paid, and you’re getting none of the swanky perks of being a lawyer. Secretary.”

“First of all,” Merlin said, pointing his beer at Gwaine, “I’m not a lawyer yet. I am a lowly law student. With an internship. Where they can have me do whatever they want to gain experiences. And, for the record, I’m helping Arthur prep for court, not just filing,” Merlin finished lamely.

Gwaine raised an eyebrow.

“And secondly,” Merlin continued, “as I already explained, this is the whole point of an internship. To work with an associate and learn the ropes.”

“So what? Your his personal secretary?” Gwaine leaned across the table towards Merlin and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Is this a master servant sex thing?”

“You’re an idiot,” Merlin declared.

“So I’ve been told,” Gwaine agreed. “So, despite your protests about being a secretary, you’ve been awfully quiet about the whole thing. Is it not what you hoped?”

Merlin spun his beer around in his hands.  He’d been avoiding talking about work because he didn’t want to mention what else Arthur was having him do, because thinking of his extra assignment lead him back to Valiant – and the thought of his second kill… well that was something he didn’t want to discuss with Gwaine or Gaius or anyone else. He did what he had to do, and hopefully he would never have to resort to something like that again. Now he wanted to just forget it and move on.

“No, it’s great,” Merlin said trying to sound as excited as he knew he should be. “I’m learning a ton from him, especially about strategy and prepping witnesses and all that courtroom stuff that is so different on TV than in real life.”

“It’s crazy though. You’ve wanted this for as long as I’ve known you," Gwaine said. "Is your man everything you hoped and dreamed he would be?"

Merlin snorted into his nearly empty drink. “Arthur’s not what I expected, but I think that’s a good thing. He’s, actually less snarky than I would have expected.”

“Have you figured out how to put the moves on him yet?” Gwaine asked smirking and clearly not as interested in Merlin’s actual work as he appeared. “You’ve been working those weird hours, coming home super late…. You’re not already getting off with him, are you?!”

“No, Gwaine. I’m not getting off with my boss after work!”

“But you’d tell me if you were, right?” Gwaine asked.

“Oh look, we’re out. I’ll get the next round,” Merlin said instead of answering and quickly retreated out of the booth and made his way towards the crowded bar.

This wasn’t their usual hangout, but it had the advantage of being much closer to campus. After his unexpected encounter with Gaius, Merlin had basically crawled into a booth the moment he left the library. By the time Gwaine showed up, Merlin was well on his way to drunk.

Merlin reached for his wallet, his drinks lined up on the bar, when a hand closed over his, pushing his wallet back down. A shock of static electricity stung Merlin’s hand, and he recoiled.

“Let me.”

Merlin straightened at the familiar voice and turned to find himself face to face with Arthur, and was grateful for the low light in the bar as his face began to redden. He watched as Arthur handed the bartender a hundred dollar bill and sipped his own drink, calmly waiting for change.

“You don’t have to do that,” Merlin said, gripping his own drink like a lifeline.

“An associate can buy his intern a friendly drink,” Arthur replied with a small, playful smile. “And it’s a thank you for all of the extra work you’ve been doing.”

Arthur let that vague statement hang in the air between them, and then lifted his amber drink in salute to Merlin before bringing it to his lips.

“Oh, well. Thanks, then,” Merlin stammered.

Somehow during the morning rushes and the late nights, Merlin and Arthur started to become friends. Not close friends, or even friends that hang out outside of the office, but there was something more than just a work relationship, Merlin was sure of it. And yet, this interaction at the bar was decidedly awkward.

Merlin mumbled thanks to Arthur, then made to head back to his table to have a whispered panic attack all over Gwaine. However, when he turned around he found that Morgana La Fey had already invaded the table. Merlin turned back towards Arthur who was watching him with a bemused expression on his face.

“We shouldn’t keep them waiting for their drinks,” Arthur said, gesturing towards his cousin with his drink.

As if on autopilot, Merlin followed Arthur back to the table, and slid back in next to Gwaine, handing him his beer. Introductions were made and Merlin was just getting used to the idea that Arthur was sitting with him at a bar and outside of work, when Gwaine broke the ice.

“You didn’t tell me you had such beauty at the office, Merlin.” Gwaine was emphasizing his accent in the way he always did when flirting. “You only talk about Arthur.”

Merlin nearly choked on his drink, and shot Gwaine a horrified glare. Gwaine gave Merlin and over exaggerated wink.

“And Merlin didn’t tell me he had such charming friends,” Morgana replied smoothly.

“How often do you actually talk to Merlin, Morgana?” Arthur inquired.

“Well, now that he’s a permanent fixture in your office, quite a lot, dear Arthur,” Morgana said, tone full of amusement.

“A permanent fixture, yeah?” Gwaine noted then turned to Merlin, “And you were after saying how much you enjoyed working with Arthur.”

Merlin’s cheeks burned with embarrassment.

Arthur looked surprised and delighted as he asked, “Were you really just saying that?”

“See this right here?” Merlin said, gesturing around the table. “Keeping Gwaine away from anyone work related is a long term strategy. And one that has now failed horribly.” He jabbed his beer in Gwaine’s direction. “You are horrible.”

“I’m the best,” Gwaine corrected. Then turned to Arthur, “I really am the best, as you'll soon learn, Princess.”

“Oh, I love him,” Morgana cooed.

“Wonderful,” Merlin said to himself, and downed the rest of his beer.

“I’ll get the next round of Brittanys," Gwaine said, at least having the decency to look like he felt bad for embarrassing Merlin. Standing up, he offered his hand to Morgana, "My Lady, if you would care to join me?”

After a moment of being left alone, Merlin found Arthur watching him carefully and he realized he was sitting there silently biting his lip.

“I wouldn’t worry about him getting into too much trouble,” Arthur reassured him. “Morgana is not-so-secretly dating Leon, so Gwaine can’t do much damage.”

Merlin laughed. “It’s not Morgana I’m worried about! She would destroy Gwaine!”

“Without a doubt,” Arthur agreed. “So, I suppose it’s just a good thing they’re off at the bar gossiping about us then.”

Merlin paused, confused. “Why would they be gossiping about us?”

“The two people who know the most about each of us – your roommate, and my cousin – have just met and are getting progressively less sober,” Arthur explained slowly. “And they both seem to have a wicked streak a mile long. So, unless Gwaine also has an extensive knowledge of designer shoes, we are the common denominator.”

Merlin wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that.  In fact, he wasn’t quite sure how to react to anything that was happening to him right now. He had assumed that this evening would be full of drinking to forget his conversation with Gaius and arguing with Gwaine about why Rugby isn’t big in America.   

Instead, Merlin was drinking with Arthur who was possibly flirting with him, if that sly smile and the way he was leaning forward across the small table was anything to go by. Merlin’s mind seemed to short circuit at this thought. He fiddled with his beer mat and wondered what was taking Gwaine and Morgana so long.

At the office Merlin and Arthur were alone together all the time, but for some reason this felt different, monumental. Maybe Merlin was making something out of nothing, but Arthur’s glances in his direction seemed more than friendly. They seemed heated and open in a way that Merlin hadn’t seen in the few weeks they’d been working together. It could have been the alcohol, but somehow Merlin didn’t think so.

When Gwaine and Morgana returned with a pitcher of beer, Arthur handed a new pint glass to Merlin and there was that shock of electricity again.

“Sorry,” Arthur said, eyes wide. “I must have picked up some static as I slid into the booth.”

“It’s ok,” Merlin said, but it really wasn’t. All of his power was suddenly alive and dancing under his skin, itching to flow out of him and wrap around the man across the table.

He held his glass close to his chest as he watched the other three people interact, laughing and joking, while he finished his new pint in silence.  Once he was through, he grabbed his coat and mumbled an excuse about being exhausted. Before he made for the door, he told Gwaine he’d see him at home, and pushed down any misgivings about leaving him along with coworkers.

As he walked away he felt the prickling feeling on the back of his neck of someone watching him. And then, right as he reached the door, he risked a glance over his shoulder and found Arthur staring at him with an odd expression on his face.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Merlin had been slightly annoyed with Kay ever since his reveal that he had gone to the police about the Valiant letters. Merlin knew it was irrational; he didn’t even know what he was planning on doing to stop Valiant at the time. If he were Kay, he would have gone to the police, too. Still, it bothered him and every time he went to visit the IS&T department, he had to push the feelings down.

“Hey, Kay. You got a few minutes?” Merlin asked as he popped his head into Kay’s office bright and early Monday morning.

“Sure, buddy,” Kay replied without looking up from whatever he was working on. “What’s up?”

Merlin threw himself into one of the chairs across from Kay’s desk and flipped open a notebook.

“Does the name Jason Helios mean anything to you?” he asked.

Kay paused in his typing and scrunched his face up in concentration for a moment. “No, I don’t think so. Should it?”

Merlin made a disappointed noise. “I’m not sure. I’ve come across his name in some research,” Merlin said vaguely.

Kay chuckled. “Are you solving mysteries again, Mr. Holmes?”

Merlin laughed, “Maybe.”

He studied Kay for a moment, and he remembered is initial feeling of trust and friendship the first morning he had entered this office.

“Kay, can I ask you a serious question?”

Kay paused at Merlin’s serious tone, then replied, “of course,” before moving his mouse into the corner of the screen triggering the screensaver. Merlin had his undivided attention.

“I’m asking you this in pure confidence, so it can’t be repeated to anyone else,” Merlin said.

“Merlin, is something wrong?” Kay asked, concerned.

“I don’t know,” Merlin admitted. “What do you know about Agravaine de Bois?”

“Agravaine, the head of security, Agravine?”

“Yeah,” Merlin confirmed.

“I know he’s Mrs. Pendragon’s brother, and that he’s ex-military which is how he ended up in private security when he decided not to reenlist,” Kay said. “Other than that, he more or less keeps to himself and limits his interactions to the name partners. Why?”

“As head of security does he have access to your systems or files?” Merlin asked, ignoring Kay’s question.

“He could access almost all of the information in the system,” Kay said carefully. “But he doesn’t actually have the computer skills to get much without my help.”

“How do you know he doesn’t have the skill?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Please, Kay,” Merlin said.

Kay sighed. “He’s technically my boss. But he’s a neophyte, and needs my assistance for anything that requires system access. This is why I’m basically my own department.”

“One final question: did you tell him about the Valiant letters?”

“Of course, “ Kay confirmed, sitting up straighter, defensive. “When I went to the police, they said our own security team should be aware of the threat in case something happened at the office. It was standard procedure.”

Merlin’s shoulders fell. He now had official confirmation that Agravaine had kept this information to himself. He looked back into Kay’s open and confused face and all of his previous annoyance fell away – Kay had only ever tried to help Merlin and it was clear that he was worried about this line of questions.

So, Merlin explained how Arthur had no idea that his life was in danger and that Agravaine had never put any protective plan in motion. He explained how at Arthur’s request he had been following up on inconsistencies whenever he visited Kay or Geoffrey, and an odd pattern was emerging around the name Jason Helios. And Agravaine appeared to be at the core of it.

Kay, for his part, looked flabbergasted. He sat there for a moment letting the information sink in. His expression changed from shock to anger before he spun back to his computer and furiously typing in a series of commands.

After a few minutes of silence, aside from the sound of a keyboard, Kay’s head snapped up.

“I found something,” he announced.

“Helios?” Merlin inquired.

“J. Helios,” Kay read off his screen. “There’s a record for him in here, but not as an employee. It’s marked as a contract payroll code, and there isn’t a whole lot of information other than his name appears as a reference on a few cases.”

“Could he be a consultant? Or an expert witness or something?” Merlin asked.

“It doesn’t look like it,” Kay said. “We have a way of cross referencing that data. But I’ll dig deeper and let you know when I find more. Because I can already tell you how weird this record looks. There’s gotta be something else going on.”

A few minutes later, Merlin left Kay’s office feeling lighter than he had for a while; Kay was back in his good books, and he had a lead on the name Helios. Now, he just had to figure out how to distract Arthur from the barrage of angry women that would be protesting outside of the court later this afternoon.

 

~~~~

 

“Have you thought about taking less high profile cases,” Merlin asked, stabbing a cherry tomato with his fork and jabbing it in the direction of the TV in the conference room.  
  
The local new was broadcasting a press conference held by Nimueh Lake of the Albion Women's Crisis Center. She had been slamming Arthur in the op-ed section of the San Francisco Chronicle, condemning his work since his most recent case – the murder of Vivian Norway. This was her third TV appearance in the campaign this week.  
  
“He is a misogynist! He defends the murderers of women,” Nimueh said, slamming her fist against the podium. “Isn’t it bad enough to feel scared that, as a woman, you might be attacked? Why should we also have to fear that if something does happen, this man would defend our attackers? This man who will do anything to let them get away with it?”  
  
“We can’t let Vivian Norway be the next Kara Avalon,” she continued passionately. “We have to bring the murderers of these women to justice and that won’t happen with Arthur Pendragon on their side!”  
  
On the screen, the reporters in the room were frantically scribbling notes, and a few were raising their hands to ask follow up questions. Arthur didn’t wait to see what else she had to say, instead he flipped off the TV and turned his attention back to his sandwich.  
  
“No, Merlin,” he said finally. “I don’t ever think about that because despite what Nimueh Lake thinks, these people are innocent, regardless of the fact that they are men. And I think the real killers are still out there.”  
  
“Doesn’t she worry you?” Merlin asked.  
  
Arthur scoffed. “Why should she? I’m not a public defender. I’m not going to get pulled from this case because of public opinion.”  
  
“Is that something that can happen? Can you get pulled from a case?”  
  
“If the partners feel it’s best, sure,” Arthur said unconcerned. “But that rarely happens.”  
  
Merlin pushed his salad around on his plate in silence.  
  
“Merlin, are you worried about me?” Arthur asked.  
  
“No,” Merlin denied. “Well, a little, I suppose. I mean, what if something like the whole Valiant thing happens again?”

Merlin looked up to find Arthur studying him intently with an odd expression he wore every now and then. Almost like he was about to ask Merlin a question, but couldn’t decide how to phrase it.  
  
After a moment his expression cleared and he smiled.

“Well, that’s why I’ve got you, and you’ve got your eyes and ears on what’s going on in security. And with your ears not much should get past you, right?”  
  
Merlin rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, but it’s been oddly quiet.”

He hadn’t yet told Arthur about his Helios lead, not when Nimueh’s personality assassinations were becoming a near daily occurrence.  
  
“Suspiciously quiet?”  
  
“I don’t know if this silence warrants an upgrade from odd to suspicious yet,” Merlin said in a mock serious tone. “But I will inform you if and when that changes, sire.”  
  
Arthur returned Merlins’ eye roll.  
  
“Merlin?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Shut up.”  
  
And Merlin had to look back down at his lunch to avoid revealing the blush across his cheeks caused by the endearing tone in Arthur’s “shut up.”

 

~~~~

 

“Wow! You weren’t kidding when you said this would be a formal affair! Look at you, Mr. Bond! Are you sure I look good enough?”

When Arthur had informed Merlin that all of the interns would be expected to attend the annual charity gala that his mother hosted every year, and that it was a black tie event, he had instantly decided that he was going to bring Elena as a date. He wasn’t sure how he would be able to function at a formal event without someone like her at his side.  
  
He made a point of giving her an exaggerated once over. “Elena, you are a dream,” he said as he kissed her hand.  
  
He wasn’t lying either. Where Elena was effortlessly beautiful in the clothes that she painted in, she looked equally stunning in a cocktail dress – though Merlin was nervous about her lasting the night in the platform red shoes that she had picked out. He had already cringed as she had one or two near misses.  
  
She batted playfully at his arm. “You’ve been taking lessons from Gwaine, haven’t you?”  
  
“He’s been forcing them on me,” Merlin corrected. “Seriously, though. I can’t thank you enough for coming with me.”  
  
“Like I’d say no! All this and an open bar!” Elena exclaimed, waving her arms around the room. “Speaking of which…” And with that she grabbed Merlin’s arm and pulled him toward the bar.

Across the room, Merlin watched a blonde woman approach Arthur and he was immediately overwhelmed with a sense of foreboding. She was dressed in a deep red mini-dress, her platinum hair was in a stylish mess on the top of her head, and her eyes were smoky and dark. She didn’t look unlike most of the women milling around the charity gala, but there was something about her that drew his attention. Even from a distance, her presence sent a rush of panic through him.

Merlin was distracted as Elizabeth and her husband greeted them when they approached the bar. In the short time it took to make introductions, Merlin understood why Elizabeth preferred her dog’s company to her husbands; even his handshake was boring.  
  
“Who's the woman with Arthur?” Elizabeth asked, conspiratorially. “Morgana hasn’t seen her before.”  
  
Interns were the unofficial source of information for their associate, so Merlin wasn’t surprised by the question. But he was surprised that neither he nor Morgana knew the woman’s identity.  
  
“I don’t know,” Merlin admitted. “I thought she must be a non work friend, but if Morgana doesn’t know her either…”  
  
“Is that Arthur?” Elena interrupted, rejoining them and handing Merlin a gin and tonic. “He’s even cuter in person! No wonder you like him!”  
  
Elena’s eyes widened comically and she slapped a hand over her mouth. Elizabeth just laughed.  
  
“We’re pretty sure Merlin’s crush on Arthur is the worst kept secret in the intern office,” Elizabeth explained.  
  
Merlin had no illusions that his crush was a secret amongst his fellow interns. He had never discussed it with them before, but he was feeling playful after a few sips of his drink.  
  
“Really?” Merlin asked incredulously. “I thought the worst kept secret was that we all think that Ben’s obsession with Dave Matthew’s Band is ridiculous.”  
  
Elena choked on her drink. “Dave Matthew’s Band?” she wheezed.

Merlin nodded seriously and was about to launch into a story about Ben’s obsession when movement across the room caught his eye. The blonde woman was walking towards the parlors at the back end of the ballroom, near the gardens, her red nails tight on Arthur’s upper arm, and not in a gesture of familiarity.  
  
“Hey, Elena, do you mind if I run and check on something for a moment? I’ll be right back,” Merlin said, shoving his drink back into her hands distractedly.  
  
“Yeah, no problem,” she said, and turned back to Elizabeth before Merlin had even moved away.  
  
That was the other reason that he had brought Elena with him. She could talk to anyone and always just went with the flow. He’d make sure to thank her profusely later, but for now, he had to keep Arthur in view.  
  
He paused in the doorway, hovering just out of view at the curve of the wall. Arthur and the blonde woman appeared to be having a heated argument. Merlin didn’t know all that much about Arthur’s personal life, and this woman could be someone he had a history with, but Morgana had claimed not to know her. And even under the slight buzz of alcohol, Merlin could feel the same uneasy feeling of _something_ that he felt whenever he was near Valiant.  
  
Before Merlin had a chance to figure out how to separate them, Gwen was approaching and beckoning Arthur away, no doubt for some sort of official duty. The woman watched them rejoin the ballroom crowds with narrowed eyes before turning away and striding towards the garden that sprawled out behind the grand hotel.  
  
Merlin followed and found her lighting a cigarette as she leaned against the wrought iron fence lining the rose beds. The hum of noise from the gala seemed miles away in the empty gardens.  
  
“Who are you,” Merlin asked, crossing his arms in what he hoped was an imposing stance.  
  
“Morgause,” she said through a cloud of smoke. “What’s it to you?”  
  
“What do you want with Arthur?”  
  
Morgause laughed. “You can’t possibly be his bodyguard, so I don’t see why it’s any of your business.”  
  
“Trust me, it is,” Merlin spat.  
  
Morgause flicked her half finished cigarette away and was suddenly leaning into Merlin’s personal space. “I just came here to convince Arthur to give up the Vivian Norway case, to remind him that Trickler brutally murdered that poor girl, and by defending him he’s showing his true colors.”  
  
“You work with Nimueh Lake,” Merlin said.  
  
“Ah, so you’re familiar with our cause then,” Morgause said with a harsh grin. “We just want Arthur to reconsider the plea.”  
  
“And if he doesn’t?” Merlin asked.  
  
“I think we can get him to see reason,” Morgause said.  
  
A feeling of _wrong_ went through Merlin like an alarm. He suddenly knew that Arthur would never been safe from Morgause if he continued defending Trickler, or any other man who was accused of hurting a woman. He instinctively knew that Morgause would never give up on her crusade.  
  
“No,” Merlin said. “I don’t think that’s ever going to happen.”  
  
“We have our ways,” Morgause said ominously, tapping her clutch with a manicured finger.

Merlin's focus shifted momentarily to her bag, and that he almost stumbled back with the force of _intent_ that was coming off it in waves. Whatever she had in there, Merlin instinctually knew that it would be used against Arthur.

“You misunderstand me,” Merlin said. “I mean, you’ll never get the chance.”  
  
Morgause sneered at him as she took sip of her champagne.  
  
Merlin waved his hand and her glass went flying. Morgause’s mouth had fallen open in shock, but before she could even cry out, Merlin was raising his other hand and she went toppling over the fence and into the flower beds. She did scream then, as rose vines burst from the earth and began to crisscross her body. With casual flick of his wrist the doors leading back into the hotel swung silently shut, and he stood over her, listening to her screams.  
  
Merlin watched as the pricks of blood welled up where thorns pierced Morgause’s exposed skin; he listened to screams falter and her breath slowly become ragged gasps as the vines tightened around her neck and squeezed the air out of her lungs. And when her eyes finally stared, unblinking up at the twinkle lights above the gardens, he pushed forward with his power and she began to sink into the rich garden soil.  
  
And then Merlin turned on his heel and walked calmly back into the hotel.  
  
After the silence in the garden, the cacophony of laughter, conversation, and the band hit Merlin as he reentered the hotel. He spotted Elena and Elizabeth still at the bar where he left them, and Arthur was deep in conversation with Gwen and his parents off to the side of the room. Merlin was surprised at how little time had passed.  
  
Merlin knocked back three flutes of champagne as he made his way across the ballroom, checking in a mirror that his eyes had returned to their normal blue. His body was still vibrating and his only thought was get as close to Arthur as possible.

“Oh thank god,” Arthur exclaimed, intercepting Merlin and directing them to the closest bar. “I was looking for a way out of the conversation, and you’re the perfect excuse. Something just came up, must talk to my intern.”  
  
Arthur gestured at the signature cocktail – something shockingly purple – and held up two fingers for the bartender.  
  
“Who was the woman you were talking to earlier,” Merlin asked with feigned innocence.  
  
“One of Nimueh’s bunch. Trying to get me to give up the case by threatening me in the middle of a party filled with lawyers,” Arthur said. “Not the best idea, I’ve ever heard.”  
  
“No,” Merlin agreed, and since he was feeling restless and charged with power, he rested his hand on Arthur’s shoulder. To his surprise, he immediately felt centered and content.  
  
Arthur grinned at him, open and pleased, and then handed Merlin his own cocktail. Arthur tapped his glass against Merlin’s and said, “cheers,” before taking a sip.  
  
Merlin followed in suit and felt the rush of sugar mix with adrenaline and power making his toes tingle.  
  
“So, you haven’t introduced me to your date yet, _Mer_ lin,” Arthur observed.  
  
Merlin followed his gaze. Elena had spotted Arthur and him at the bar and was precariously making her way across the smooth surface of the dance floor barely avoiding the dancing couples.  
  
“Oh, she’s just as bad as Gwaine,” Merlin explained.  
  
“I would expect nothing less,” Arthur said and slid his own hand to rest on Merlin’s lower back.  
  
And Merlin’s laughter was nearly caught in his throat, because there was no way this wasn’t flirting.  
  
“Oh, I see how it is,” Elena exclaimed. “Invite me along to the fancy party, but ditch me as soon as a gorgeous guy in a tux shows up. Nice, Merlin. Really nice.”  
  
She stood in front of them with her hands on her hips and a put out look on her face for a few seconds before she burst into hysterical laughter.  
  
“What did I tell ya,” Merlin said, shaking his head. “Just like Gwaine.”

“Hey!” Elena said, offended.  
  
“You said the same about me earlier when I complimented your dress,” Merlin reminded her.  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” she dismissed Merlin’s argument with a wave of her hand and turned her attention to Arthur. “So, you’re the famous Arthur?”  
  
Unlike that night at the bar weeks ago, Merlin’s instinct wasn’t to rile against the implication that he was discussing Arthur with his friends. Instead that warm feeling deep down inside of him clung to the notion.  
  
And so, Merlin, Arthur, and Elena launched into a series of conversations that lasted as other people came and left their group, as Mrs. Pendragon gave her annual thank you speech, as the band kicked it into high gear and most of the guests had filled the dance floor.  
  
Towards midnight, when Arthur had been pulled aside for a moment to confirm something with Gwen, Elena moved Merlin a little further away.  
  
“Thank you so much for inviting me, Merlin,” she said, hugging him tightly. “I totally get what you see in him, he’s amazing. And as a thank you for inviting me, I have two things to give you.”  
  
Merlin looked at Elena curiously.  
  
“Well, ok, I have two pieces of information to give you. One, he is just as into you as you are into him. So, don’t do anything stupid. And two, I called for a cab already, and they’ve just texted me that they’ve arrived. So, I’ll see you later, Merlin.”  
  
She kissed him on the cheek and then wandered off.  
  
When Merlin turned back around Arthur was alone again.  
  
“Where did Elena go?”

“Home.”  
  
Arthur nodded, and then after a really long moment reached out to grab Merlin’s elbow.  
  
“Let’s go,” he said.  
  
Merlin didn’t ask where. He just nodded and followed.  
  
Twenty minutes later, Merlin was staring out of the window of Arthur’s Twin Peaks condo, watching the twinkling lights move up and down the hills below, spanning out and across the Golden Gate Bridge. His jacket had been tossed aside along with his bowtie as soon as Arthur opened the door, and he was now lost in thought as he unbuttoned his shirt. He could hardly believe all of the events of the evening had led him here.  
  
The first strains of music reached Merlin’s ears and he was startled to recognize the band as one of his own favorites. He was about to comment on the choice, but then Arthur was there, tangling his fingers in Merlin’s hair and bringing their mouths together in a kiss. Merlin moaned, and pressed as much of himself as he could against Arthur.  
  
The lights flickered but Arthur didn’t seem to notice. All of the power within Merlin was sparkling and crackling, celebrating the moment when the thing it had been reaching out for was finally there. Merlin had to clamp it down, fearful that if he let go, he would cause something worse than flickering lights.  
  
“I have been thinking about your mouth all night,” Arthur said into the kiss. He pulled back and held Merlin’s face in his hands. “Look at you.”

Merlin gasped and darted forward to steal another kiss.  
  
Arthur raked his fingers down the long line of Merlin's neck and tugged on the shirt until the other man's shoulders were exposed. He bit down lightly on the juncture of Merlin’s neck as he deftly unbuttoned the rest of the buttons, pushing the shift off. Arthur kissed him again as his hands explored the newly exposed skin. Merlin’s knees went weak and he clung to Arthur’s shoulders for support as he licked deeper into his mouth.  
  
“Get this off,” Merlin growled tugging at Arthur’s tie, pulling it loose and, god, if that didn’t make Arthur look even hotter. “Want to touch you.”  
  
Arthur pulled back with a smirk and tossed aside his bowtie with one hand as he unbuttoned his dress shirt with other. He was looking at Merlin like he was a prize, like he was something Arthur wasn’t supposed to touch but was going to anyway. And the fact that it might be true turned Merlin on even more.  
  
Arthur’s shirt fell to the floor and he was immediately back against Merlin, their lips crushed together with bruising force. Sliding his hands down Merlin's naked chest, Arthur dipped the tips of his fingers into the loose waistband of the other man's tuxedo pants. In a smooth motion, Arthur slid his hands the rest of the way into Merlin's pant and, grabbing his ass, lifted him up in one smooth motion.  
  
“What?” Merlin asked, startled. But Arthur only kissed him and Merlin was forced to wrap his legs around Arthur’s waist. He turned around and walked to the extra large sofa, depositing Merlin onto his back, and kissed his way up Merlin’s torso. Merlin tangled his hands into Arthur’s hair and moaned as their cocks lined up, even through the layers of formal wear and underwear. He tipped his head back and Arthur was there in an instant, all tongue and teeth, sucking ill-advised bites into Merlin’s collarbones.  
  
Merlin hadn’t made out like this since he was an undergrad and was friends with the entire theater department. He had been with a variety of both men and women, but nothing felt quite like this. No one had make his powers hum so contentedly. Never had the lips on his own fit so perfectly, had the small notches and imperfections on his body slotted into exactly the right position with someone else’s. Never had he felt that the person in his arms was meant to be there. Like they were both safe.  
  
With that realization, Merlin flipped them both over. Straddling Arthur’s lap, he bent his head and kissed down Arthur’s throat, down his chest and stomach, feeling the muscles spasm under his ticklish kisses and licks and nips. He slid down to kneel between Arthur's knees and kissed down to the line of Arthur’s pants. Yanking his belt open, Merlin pulled Arthur's pants and underwear down in one swift motion, freeing his erection.  
  
“Yeah, Merlin,” Arthur panted as Merlin nuzzled into the joint of his leg and crotch, licking the sensitive skin there.  
  
“Is this what you want?” Merlin asked, mouth hovering over Arthur’s cock. “Is this what you meant when you said you’ve been thinking about my mouth all night?”

“Oh god, yes,” Arthur moaned. “Please, Merlin.”  
  
Merlin grinned up at Arthur then swallowed his cock, swirling his tongue around the head as he pulled back off, then back down again. He moaned deep in his throat, around Arthur’s cock, as Arthur sank his fingers into Merlin’s hair, scratching at his scalp and tugging lightly.  
  
“You’re so good at this,” Arthur murmured in a shaky voice.  
  
Encouraged, Merlin took Arthur as deep as he could, holding him in his throat as he let his muscles relax, then swallowing around the hard cock. He pulled off with a gasp and twirled his tongue around the spit-slicked cock as Arthur gasped, “Oh my god.”  
  
Merlin repeated this until Arthur began to thrust up into Merlin’s mouth. He looked up at Arthur, tongue lapping at his cock like a popsicle, “What do you want?”  
  
“Come here,” Arthur growled. “Come here right the fuck now.”  
  
Merlin didn’t hesitate to crawl back up Arthur’s body and slot their mouths together in a sloppy kiss.  
  
“Get on the couch. Stay on your knees,” Arthur commanded in the same voice that Merlin had heard him use in the office. The voice went straight to his cock and he knew, just knew, that he would get turned on whenever he heard Arthur use it in the future.  
  
Arthur reached around him and undid the button and zipper of Merlin’s pants. He pushed them off and pressed Merlin against the full cushions of the couch then, kneeling over Merlin, he pressed the long lines of their bodies together. Arthur kissed the back of Merlin’s neck, and then made his way down the notches in his spine. With one hand he slid his fingers down Merlin’s back, scrapping his blunt fingernails over his skin, and with the other, he slid it over Merlin’s hip and wrapped his fist loosely around Merlin’s cock, hanging heavy between his legs. Merlin moaned and pressed back into Arthur, and Arthur tightened his grip and began to stroke lazily.  
  
“Look at you like this,” Arthur said, pulling on Merlin’s messy hair to lift his face up. He wrapped a loose arm around Merlin’s neck and held him in place. The light in the apartment had turned the bay windows into mirrors and Merlin could see his reflection: flush high on his cheeks, hair disheveled, Arthur fucking Pendragon pressed against his back, and faintly, his eyes rimmed in gold.  
  
“Oh god,” Merlin gasped, but he couldn’t take his eyes away as Arthur met his eyes through the reflection, grinning wickedly at him, and then pulling away.

Merlin didn’t even have time to whimper at the loss of contact before Arthur was there, kissing the back of Merlin’s balls, trailing his tongue up and back, and then across the tight opening to his body.  
  
Merlin gasped as Arthur’s tongue broached him, and he felt himself clench.  
  
“Oh, god, Arthur,” he moaned into the pillows. “More please.”  
  
He could feel Arthur chuckle before he pulled away briefly and then a finger joined his tongue at the opening of Merlin’s body. It took Merlin a few minutes to adjust to the feeling, but he was soon pushing back against Arthur’s hand, eager for more.  
  
Merlin whimpered when Arthur pulled away completely.  
  
“Shh,” Arthur soothed. “I’ll be right back.”  
  
Merlin rested his head on his forearms and caught his breath as he heard Arthur move around behind him. And then Arthur was back, adding a slicked finger, and then another until he was mouthing the base of Merlin’s spine as three fingers worked him open.  
  
“Are you ready?” Arthur asked breathlessly, tipping Merlin’s head back so that he could press their lips together.  
  
“Oh god, yes,” Merlin said against his lips.  
  
Arthur was pushing into him slowly and Merlin watched in the mirrored window as his eyes became more gold and less blue with each inch. When Arthur was fully seated, he pulled out again slowly and then pushed back in in one fluid motion. They both moaned and Arthur picked up the pace, all the while kissing and murmuring into Merlin’s back.  
  
Something deep inside of Merlin thrummed _mine, mine, mine_ over and over as Arthur pounded into him. And when he came, moments after Arthur had choked out a cry and stilled deep within his body, Merlin couldn’t help the flash of light that filled the apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

“Has anyone ever worked here named Jason Helios?” Merlin asked.  
  
It was Monday morning and he was trying hard to act professional. But sitting there across from Arthur, sipping coffee, all he wanted to do was crawl across Arthur’s desk and climb into his lap. He wasn’t certain if Arthur wanted the same thing, as they were resolutely not talking about what had happened between them.  
  
“Jason Helios?” Arthur repeated.  
  
He took a swig of coffee and his foot found Merlin’s under the desk. Merlin smiled into his own mug, relief sweeping through him.  
  
“Yeah, his name shows up here and there in the archives, but I can’t figure out why,” Merlin explained. “I’ve got Kay looking into it, but all he can tell me is that he wasn’t an employee, and likely wasn’t a consultant. But he has received paychecks.”  
  
“You know, the name does sound vaguely familiar,” Arthur mused. “I just can’t put my finger on it.”  
  
“Well, let me know if you think of something.”  
  
“Will do,” Arthur confirmed. “Listen, I got a ton of meetings this morning before court, but I’ll see you for lunch, right?”  
  
“Totally,” Merlin agreed as Arthur leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to his lips on the way out of his office.  
  
The feeling of elation lasted Merlin all the way through the week, and into a lazy weekend where they had hardly left Arthur’s room. It lasted through three days of court the following week and even through a short meeting with Gaius, where his mentor had given him a knowing look and a lecture about workplace professionalism. Merlin took it in stride, much preferring an uncomfortable conversation about his potential love life, than the conversation he’d last had with Gaius.  
  
Work hadn’t become awkward with the change in their relationship from coworkers to whatever they were now. And Merlin didn’t need a label as long they could keep stealing kisses in the office (despite the fact that Morgana had taken to giving them both pointed looks as she passed), and spending late nights together; as long as he was able to call Arthur his, even if only in his head.  
  
Merlin knew that the happy bubble wouldn’t last forever, but he was disappointed to find his temporary bliss interrupted by Nimueh Lake on Thursday morning. She burst into Arthur’s office with the poor receptionist chasing after her.  
  
Merlin was parked at the table he usually used when in Arthur’s office, reviewing the notes from the previous day in court. Arthur was working at his own desk, preparing the afternoon’s material. They had been sitting in a comfortable silence before the door flew open.  
  
“Please, Ms. Lake, let me make you an appointment,” the receptionist said.  
  
“Thanks, but since I’m already here,” she said in a falsely sweet voice. “I’m sure Arthur can take a moment to see me.”  
  
Merlin’s skin crawled and he reacted before he could stop himself: the door forcefully swung closed. Nimueh blocked it with a booted foot.  
  
“Well?” she asked undeterred.  
  
Arthur took his time setting aside his papers before stretching out an arm and offering her a seat in front of his desk.  
  
“You can close the door behind you,” Nimueh said to the receptionist as she took her seat.  
  
“Thanks, Jane,” Arthur said nodding to her as she quickly closed the door and slipped away.  
  
“So, Ms. Lake, what can I do for you?” Arthur asked, annoyance dripping from his voice. “You must know I’m not going to change my mind about our not guilty plea, so I’m really not sure why you’re here.”  
  
Nimueh studied him carefully before answering. “How much did you pay her?”  
  
“What?” Arthur was clearly not expecting this question. He looked genuinely confused. “How much did I pay who?”  
  
“Morgause Gorlois,” Nimueh said as if he was slow. “I know she approached you at that gala, and now she’s gone. I haven’t seen her in nearly two weeks. So, again, how much did you pay her to back off?”  
  
Merlin couldn’t help the small noise of surprise he made, and Nimueh spun around, noticing him for the first time.  
  
“Who is that?” she demanded.  
  
“Merlin.” Arthur didn’t elaborate.  
  
Nimueh gave Merlin a once over and seemed to decide he wasn’t worth her time. She turned back to Arthur and rapped her fingernails against his desk impatiently.  
  
“I didn’t pay her anything,” Arthur said, voice deadly serious. “She approached me at a charity event that she was not invited to, and did not take it kindly when I asked her to leave. The last I saw her she was heading towards the exit on her own. That’s all I know.”  
  
“And why should I believe you?” Nimueh asked. “You could be just as insidious as the people you defend.”  
  
“Paying her off wouldn’t get me anything,” Arthur said, frustration building. “After all, you’re still around giving me a headache. Maybe she just got sick of you, that’s not too hard to imagine.”  
  
Nimueh shoved her chair back and leapt to her feet. “This was a waste of my time,” she declared.  
  
“Tell me about it,” Arthur retorted.  
  
“You haven’t heard the last from me,” Nimueh threatened as she yanked open Arthur’s office door. “I won’t be silenced.”  
  
And with that she stomped out.  
  
Merlin was trying to calm himself, pressing his fingernails into the palms of his hands and slowly counting down from one hundred. It took everything he had not to react to the obvious threat in the room.  
  
“Damn it, she drive me crazy,” Arthur said, pinching the bridge of his nose then rummaging in his desk drawer for painkillers.  
  
“Here, let me,” Merlin said eager to find an outlet for the tingling energy under his skin itching to get loose.  
  
All week, his powers had been curled up on themselves, sleepy and content. But the moment Nimueh entered the room, his skin felt too thin, like he was suddenly on high alert.  
  
“Comere,” Merlin said when Arthur was still fiddling with the aspirin cap.  
  
Arthur tossed the bottle back in the drawer and sat down in the chair that Merlin had just vacated. Merlin reached out and began rubbing his head, massaging circles into his temples. His powers wanted to sooth Arthur, so he let them seep out of his fingers and flow into Arthur’s scalp.  
  
Arthur let out a low moan in the back of his throat, “You have magic fingers, Merlin.”  
  
“I do,” Merlin confirmed. It felt good to speak the truth, even if Arthur didn’t mean it as hyperbole.  
  
“Can we just stay in here all day?” Arthur asked.  
  
Merlin sighed and slid his hands up into Arthur’s hair. “I wish.”  
  
Arthur leaned into Merlin’s hands a moment longer before reluctantly pushing himself out of the chair and walking back to his desk. The loss of contact hit Merlin like a punch in the chest, and he collapsed back into his chair as the feelings of anxiousness and worry caused by Nimueh’s appearance flooded back into him.  
  
“Are you ok?” Arthur asked, watching Merlin with concern.  
  
“Yeah, I just got a bit dizzy,” Merlin said, avoiding Arthur’s eyes.  
  
“Go grab a bagel or something,” Arthur suggested. “You should have more than coffee.”  
  
“Yeah, ok,” Merlin said absently.  
  
Arthur had picked back up the file he had been working on and Merlin got shakily to his feet. He started for the door, fully intended on heading to the cafeteria as Arthur suggested, but then hesitated. He turned back and gathered up his things.  
  
“Actually, I need to step out for a bit,” Merlin said.  
  
Arthur looked up, hi-lighter hovering over a line of text. He looked like he wanted to press the issue and make sure Merlin was ok. Merlin’s heart clenched.  
  
Arthur nodded. “Will I see you in court this afternoon?”  
  
“Yeah, maybe,” Merlin said vaguely. “I’m not sure.”  
  
Arthur nodded again and Merlin pulled on his peacoat.  
  
“Feel better, Merlin.”  
  
Merlin hesitated in the door a moment longer, reluctant to leave Arthur. But he could feel the tug of _something_ compelling him to follow. So, he glanced back at Arthur one last time before slipping out the office door and heading down to the street.  
  
Nimueh Lake was still loitering outside of the office, leaning against one of the brick planters and talking in a low angry tone to someone on the phone. She, once again, seemed totally unaware of Merlin as he exited the building, and so he followed her when she finally headed off down the street.  
  
Nimueh navigated the back streets of The City with an air of confidence that Merlin had rarely seen in anyone, nonetheless a woman that couldn’t be much older than himself. She cut through alleys and neighborhoods that Merlin would go out of his way to avoid at night, and still felt uneasy traversing in broad daylight. He had no idea where she was going, but he kept following her red coat and the click of her heels all the same.  
  
After about half an hour of walking, Nimueh loped up the steps and disappeared inside of an old brick building with a plaque reading The Albion Women’s Crisis Center. Merlin thought they might be just outside of the Tenderloin, but her route was so circuitous that he has lost his sense of direction.  
  
Merlin followed her up the steps and paused on the threshold and, for the first time, he let his powers pull the veil of unseeing over him. Nimueh might be oblivious to his presence, but he doubted he could enter her office without others noticing. Indeed, the moment he entered the lobby, he found it bustling with people. It would have been impossible for him to slip by the receptionist without her noticing.  
  
His delay at the door had caused him to lose sight of Nimueh, but he was no longer relying on his sight to follow her. Instead another sense took over, guiding Merlin like an invisible ribbon through the labyrinth of corridors and stairways. He let himself be guided, let his powers consume and control him.  
  
When he finally reached Nimueh’s office, she had her back to the door and was staring absently out the window at the traffic below. Merlin let his powers subside has he stepped in the room, footfalls heavy on the old floor.  
  
She briefly looked over her shoulder then back out the window.  
  
“I suppose he’s sent you here to tell me to back off.” Merlin couldn’t see her face, but he can her the sneer in her voice. “Well, you can tell him where to shove it. He’s just like like his father – thinking he’s always right, and playing by his own rules just because he’s a Pendragon. I won’t be bought, and I won’t be silenced.”  
  
Nimueh had turned around during this speech and was leaning over her desk, hands planted firmly, glaring at Merlin.  
  
Merlin stood his ground. “You know you are on the same side,” he said as calmly as possible.  
  
In truth, he was anything but calm. He felt like he was about to vibrate apart and burst into nothing but pure power, gold and infinite.  
  
She scoffed. “If that’s so, why defend Mordered? Why defend Trickler?”  
  
“Maybe because he believes that putting innocent people in prison won’t stop the real killers.”  
  
She was smiling at him, but there was something wrong. It wasn't the sweet, fake smile she had used in Arthur’s office. It was something else altogether.  
  
“You know what the precious prince believes in? Winning,” she spat the word like a curse. “He believe in winning for his company, and for his father. And he’ll do whatever it takes to win. Defend anyone high profile enough to bring in the cash that comes with it.”  
  
Merlin saw the fury in her eyes like fire, saw that she was so sold on her own propaganda that she would never be able to see reason and understand that Arthur didn’t have to be an enemy. Somewhere along the line, Nimueh had stopped doing what was best for the women of San Francisco, and let hating Arthur become her focus. Merlin knew this all instantly, the same way he knew that fire would burn and breathing was good.  
  
“You’re wrong,” Merlin said. “Arthur will win and he’ll keep winning because what he’s doing is right. You’ll see.”  
  
“Ha!” Nimueh snorted. “Over my dead body.”  
  
Merlin smiled slowly as he stepped forward, the door swinging closed behind him. “I was hoping you’d say that.”  
  
His powers unfurled and he could tell the moment that his eyes flooded gold. Nimueh gasped in shock and there was the fear that had been absent earlier as she walked the streets. She stepped back, trying to put as much space between herself and Merlin as possible. This trapped her in the corner between the window and the doorway to the en suite bathroom.  
  
Merlin stepped forward again and she moved, trying to make it into the bathroom and close the door. He held his hand out and she lost her grip on the doorknob, falling her knees with a sob, mascara running down her cheeks. She crawled backwards, hunching down under the sink as Merlin blocked the doorway.  
  
He moved his hand and the water began to run. It sounded more like a hose than sink, and it kept coming, more and more, over flowing and splashing down on to the tile floor. Nimeuh flinched back as the boiling water hit her skin. She tried to scream, but as she opened her mouth he waved his hand. A perfect fountain of boiling water shout out of the sink and down Nimueh’s throat, scaling her from the inside.  
  
Steam filled the room, and for a long while he heard nothing but the splash of water on the tile floor, and then eventually, nothing but a drip, drip, drip as the water receded.  
  
When the steam cleared, Merlin could see her body, red and raw, huddled under the sink; in the hazey mirror he could see his own reflection, wild eyed and with a grotesque smile painted across his face. He stumbled back into the office as his powers started to subside. He took a few calming breaths and then sealed the door shut. He left without looking back.

 

~~~~~

 

“Something occurred to me last night,” Arthur said offhandedly as he sipped his coffee early Friday morning.  
  
“What’s that?” Merlin asked around a yawn.  
  
“I was thinking about that name you asked me about, Jason Helios,” Arthur said between bites of a bagel. “It was just a random thought, but when I was little, I remember that my uncle had this friend that used to come around every now and then, like to large events at the firm and that sort of thing. I was young, maybe six or seven, but I thought he was weird because he didn’t really interact with anyone but my uncle.”  
  
Merlin choked on his coffee. “Oh god, are you just now realizing that he was your uncle’s _special_ friend?”  
  
“What? No!” Arthur sounded horrified at the idea. “No, what I mean is that I remembered his name. He was Uncle Agravaine’s friend Jay. It never occurred to me that it might be short for Jason, which is why I didn’t put two and two together.”  
  
“Ok,” Merlin said slowly. “So, does that mean he’s chummy with the rest of your family? Could someone have pulled strings so that he could do some work here and there over the years?”  
  
Arthur furrowed his brow. “I don’t think so. I remember my mom never really liked when he was around. I always thought it might have to do with the fact that they were stationed together in the Marines, and mom didn’t want her brother talking about any of that around me or Morgana.”  
  
“Why would a Marine buddy of your uncle’s be on Pendragon payroll,” Merlin asked.  
  
“I have no idea.”  
  
They sat in silence for a moment before Merlin’s eyes went wide as a thought occurred to him.  
  
“Hold on a sec,” he said and grabbed his phone.  
  
Arthur watched in amusement as Merlin furiously tapped on the screen, waited a moment, frowned, and then furiously tapped some more. This repeated a few more times before the phone began ringing in his hand, and he answered it with a casual, “Hey.”  
  
Arthur could only hear one side of the conversation, but he was pretty sure whoever Merlin was talking to wasn’t too pleased about being disturbed before 8 o’clock in the morning.  
  
“Yes, I know I’m just down the hall.” A pause. “Just try to pull the files, I know you can.” Another, longer pause. “Yeah, yeah, I owe you a big fucking pony, I got it.” And then a laugh. “Just send it as soon as you can, ok? Thanks.”  
  
“Who was that?” Arthur asked when Merlin hung-up.  
  
“Kay. I’m having pull the military record of J. Helios,” Merlin explained.  
  
“What? Why?” Arthur asked. “Can we trust Kay? He reports to Agravaine, you know?  
  
“I asked him to keep it on the DL and he said he was my Secret Keeper, so…” Merlin trailed off at the look of confusion on Arthur’s face. “Anyway, I was going to wait until Monday to go over this, but I suppose now’s as good a time as any.”  
  
“So, I’ve have spent the last week going over every hardcopy file that mentions J. Helios, much to Geoffrey’s chagrin – his archives are a disaster and he did not respond well to my apology coffee,” Merlin mumbled more to himself than to Arthur, and scrubbed a hand through his hair, collecting his thoughts. “Anyway, I think I’ve found a pattern, but I needed Kay’s help to get into the payroll files and see if we could match up some of these cases with dates he was paid.”  
  
“What did you find?”  
  
Merlin started pulling out files. Arthur stared at the list on his desk, confusion etched deep on his face.  
  
“These are all my father’s cases. Some of them go back 20 years. I don’t understand what I’m looking at.”  
  
“These are all the cases that have some mention of J. Helios, and they’ve been cross-referenced with dates he was paid,” Merlin explained.  
  
“OK, but where does that get us?”  
  
“What do all these cases have in common? Aside from the fact that they’re your father’s?” Merlin prompted.  
  
Arthur spent a few minutes reading the quick case summaries. “They’re all dealing with corporate espionage.”  
  
“Right. And in each case a key witness for the defense went missing,” Merlin revealed.  
  
Arthur looked at Merlin incredulously. “In every case?”  
  
“Each and every one,” Merlin confirmed.  
  
“So you think that J. Helios had something to do with the disappeared witnesses?”  
  
“Well, that’s where things didn’t make sense,” Merlin explained. “But then you just made the connection to Agravaine and the Marines, so I’m having Kay see he can find about his military career.”  
  
Arthur stared from Merlin to the files and back. Before he could question anything further, Merlin’s phone buzzed.  
  
“Kay says he served in the Gulf War,” Merlin informed Arthur. “So he may know some, uh, shall we say, enhanced interrogation techniques.”  
  
Arthur blinked. “You think he tortured the witnesses? Told them not to testify?”  
  
“I don’t know,” Merlin confessed. “I just know that he was paid on dates that correspond with when these cases were closed, and that these people have vanished. Not just during case, Arthur, like, for good. Anyway, we’ll know more when Kay cracks his military record.”  
  
Arthur stared blankly at the files in front of him for a while, then looked back up at Merlin.  
  
“If this is true, and he was paid to, you know,” Arthur waved his hand in a way that seemed to encompass everything they had been discussing, “then Pendragon could be accused of manipulating the trials. All these cases could be re-opened. All of the firm’s cases could be re-examined.” Merlin could hear the panic raise in Arthur’s voice. “Did Agravaine arrange this?”  
  
Merlin slowly nodded. “I think he did, Arthur.”

 

~~~~

 

The next few weeks were stressful. The Vivian Norway case was wrapping up in court, and Arthur was spending all if his time either in court or working on his closing arguments. Aside from work related reasons, Arthur was spending almost no time with Merlin.  
  
Rationally, Merlin understood that Arthur was trying to make sense of the information they had uncovered and wasn’t really avoiding him. But inside, Merlin burned with a sense of rejection, the part of his powers that was inexplicably drawn to Arthur was crying out for him.  
  
After a few days of moping around his apartment, he suspected that his friends were becoming concerned. On his way home from the office one night, he was intercepted by Will, who dragged Merlin to his apartment for a drink and to make all the crude comments he reserved for whenever Merlin started dating anyone new. And a few days later the usually quiet Percy showed up with a case of beer and tried to coax him into a conversation. Percy didn’t make much headway and his attempt at a heart-to-heart morphed into watching a Giants game together in a companionable silence.  
  
Merlin wondered if he should talk to Gaius about Agravaine and J. Helios and everything he’d learnt so far, but he kept hesitating. He knew as soon as he started talking about part of the problem the floodgates would open and he didn’t want to keep lying to his mentor. No, it was better to keep everything to himself.  
  
Without Arthur around the office he had taken to having lunch with one of the other interns for the first time since he was assigned to work with Arthur. He got the chance to hear about how everyone else’s assignments were going and it was a much needed distraction from everything that had happened to him since he started the internship.

It was late in the day when Merlin finally had the chance to break for lunch. He bumped into Freya on the way down to the cafeteria and she was excitedly telling him about a case she was helping Lancalot with that involved the Baylands Nature Preserve when Merlin heard his name.  
  
“Merlin?” Kay’s voice called out to him at the end of the corridor. “Merlin, wait up!”  
  
Merlin and Freya stopped and Kay caught up to them. “What’s up?”  
  
“I’ve been looking for you. There’s something we need to talk about. Can you come to my office?” Kay asked, looking meaningfully at Freya. “It’ll only take a minute.”  
  
“Sure. Freya, I’ll meet you in the cafeteria, OK?”  
  
She nodded, unconcerned, and headed off while Kay beckoned Merlin to follow him back to his office.  
  
As soon as the door closed behind them Kay’s cool demeanor dropped and he looked panicked and upset.  
  
“Kay, what’s wrong?” Merlin asked.  
  
“He knows,” Kay confessed. “Agravaine. He knows we’re looking into the old files.”  
  
Merlin’s head spun for a moment.  
  
“How? How could he possibly know?”  
  
“The files have been tampered with, changed since you brought me the list,” Kay explained. “And I know that Agravaine couldn’t have done that himself. So he must have someone else monitoring the activity on those cases, and then had them altered.”  
  
“Who could have done that?” Merlin asked, alarmed. “I mean, besides you.”  
  
“OK, don’t get mad,” Kay prefaced and Merlin narrowed his eyes into a glare. He could feel the ripple of annoyance tap into that other part of himself, and fought to control the sudden push of power against his skin.

“I know that you weren’t happy that I went to the cops with the V letters,” Kay continued, “but my contact is a family friend, so I asked him to check into some things for me. I said it was part of an ongoing court case, so he didn’t ask too many questions.”

Merlin exhaled, his powers relaxing again, and nodded. “What did he find?”  
  
“Jason Helios. And his military record,” Kay said, spinning his display around to show Merlin a headshot of the man – strong, dark, and serious. “I couldn’t get enough information myself, not without raising red flags, but my guy was able to get a full profile. He was more than just a Jarhead and was dishonorably discharged officially for hazing new recruits––“  
  
“What is this _A Few Good Men_? And what do you mean by ‘officially?’” Merlin asked making air-quotes around the word.  
  
“Most of it’s classified, but it seems like he was a bit of a renegade and discharging him for hazing avoided a lot of red tape,” Kay theorized. “But his special skills are of particular interest: hand to hand combat, marksmanship, and, oh this is interesting, hacking.”  
  
“So, Helos is hacking into the system and erasing traces of himself?” Merlin said slowly. “Like he’s what? Agravaine’s personal bad guy cliché?”  
  
Kay barked out a laugh but sobered quickly. “Seems like.”  
  
Merlin ran his fingers through his hair, thinking. “So, are there any traces of him left intact?”  
  
“Well, what kind of IS &T guy would I be if I let him completely erase himself?” Kay asked. “I have backups of the data we first pulled, and when I was cross referencing those files I set up a job that will notify me, and only me, if there is any action on the server that includes some key words specific to what we’re looking for. Today I got a hit, which is when I discovered that the older files had been tampered with.”  
  
“What was the hit?” Merlin asked.

“Another check was cut for a J. Helios.”  
  
“When?” Merlin demanded.  
  
“Today. But it doesn’t fit the rest of the patterns. Mr. Pendragon doesn’t have any cases in court right now and that’s what all of the other payouts have been linked to,” Kay said.  
  
“Why else would he…” Merlin trailed off, his mind already racing through possibilities. “Kay? When do you think Agravaine discovered that we’ve been investigating Helios?”  
  
“I don’t know how often Helios is digging in my system on Agravaine’s behalf, but I would say not more than a few days ago, if that,” Kay said in a tone that left little doubt to just how much he hated someone poking around in his territory.  
  
“If Helios does Agravaine’s dirty work,” Merlin said slowly, “what happens if we’re the threat?” Before Kay could answer another thought accrued to Merlin, “Do you think he knows that Arthur knows?”  
  
Merlin turned and dashed out of the room, not stopping until he skidded to a halt in front of Arthur's office and found it empty. With panic crawling up his throat, he checked the time on his phone and realized that Arthur had already left for court. Growling in frustration he turned, bypassing the elevators, and ran down the stairs bursting out of the building and on to the street.  
  
He flat out ran the mile or so between the office and court, cursing the fact that he had on loafers and a tie. His mind raced through all the information Kay had given him, letting instincts and his innate need to protect Arthur piece together the whole picture. One thing became clear, whatever Agravaine's endgame was, having Arthur aware, and potentially alerting Uther, wouldn't be tolerated.  
  
The block before the court, he doubled over, wheezing and catching his breath. He tried to center himself, see if he could sense any trace of a threat, and sure enough after a few long deep breaths, there it was: that same invisible guide that he had used to follow Nimueh. It was faint, but there and he followed.  
  
Merlin found himself entering one of the old buildings that lined the streets around the court. His footfalls rang out heavy and ominous as he crossed the marble floor of the empty lobby to the sweeping staircase. He slowly walked up five flights of stairs and emerged onto a corridor lined with office doors, and finally stopping in front of D5.  
  
He only hesitated a moment.  
  
The door nearly flew off their hinges as Merlin burst into the office. It looked like it a detective’s office from a 1950s film, down to the heavy wooden desk with a briefcase resting on top. Merlin caught sight of the man who was perched on a chair near the window, surveying the street through the scope on a sniper rifle. It was Helios.  
  
As the door slammed shut, Helios positioned himself between Merlin and the rifle. His stance appeared relaxed, but Merlin could tell that he was ready to attack. They stared at each other for a long moment before moving at the same time: Merlin flinging out his hand, and Helios going for his sidearm.  
  
Merlin’s eyes flashed gold as Helios was slammed against the wall, pinned a few feet off the ground. But the other man appeared to be a fighter to his core. Struggling against the invisible bonds that held him, Helios was able to pull his torso away in an arch, even as his arms and legs remained fixed. Growling in frustration, he redoubled his efforts to break free.  
  
Merlin was shocked to see someone physically push back against his powers. He gasped and faltered, breaking his hold.  
  
Helios landed on the floor in a crouch, eyes flashing in raw fury before he charged. The small part of Merlin’s brain that wasn’t overloaded with power was on a loop of “oh shit, oh shit,” as Helios swung at him. Luckily, the rest of his instincts kicked in, and Merlin watched, suddenly in slow motion, giving him time to lean out of reach. As time sped up again, Helios’ fist missed his face and Merlin used the momentum to throw him spread-eagle across the desk.  
  
Merlin approached the desk slowly. Helios struggled to break free again, but this time the angle was wrong and he couldn’t get the same leverage he did on the wall. Merlin flicked his wrist and Helios’ arms and legs spread wider, straining the joints past their stretching point. Helios clenched his jaw as he bit back a grunt of pain.

Passing the desk, he turned to the sniper rifle, bending down so he could look through the scope. It was trained on the entrance to the courthouse. Merlin didn’t feel the need to talk, to convince Helios there was another way. No. They understood each other perfectly. They were far beyond that now.  
  
The sidearm un-holstered itself, and Merlin watched with a detached calm as it raised and held steady under Helios’ chin. Accepting the inevitable, Helios stopped struggling and closed his eyes. Merlin raised his chin slightly and the shot echoed through the room.


	6. Chapter 6

“Gaius? I think I need help.”  
  
Merlin stood awkwardly in the doorway to Gaius’ study trying to rub out the blood splatter on the cuffs of his jacket and avoiding eye contact.  
  
“Merlin come in,” Gaius said, concern heavy in his voice. “What’s wrong, dear boy?”  
  
Merlin hiccupped as he tried to calm himself, pushing down wave after wave of panic. He took a couple of steps into the room, then stopped, unsure where to go and shifting his weight from one foot to the other before Gaius led him by the elbow to his usual arm chair.  
  
“What’s happened?” Gaius prompted.

“I think… I think…” Merlin stammered. He sniffled then tried again. “I’ve done something bad. And I don’t know how to stop.”  
  
Gaius looked concerned, but it seemed to be focused on Merlin’s wellbeing and not on what Merlin was saying.  
  
“I’m sure nothing is as bad as you think it is,” Gaius assured him. “Nothing we can’t work out.”  
  
“You don’t understand! I keep hurting people and I can’t stop,” Merlin cried, the truth finally spilling from his lips. “It’s this power deep inside of me that aches to get loose. Like, for years it lay dormant, but I let it out and now I can’t control it.”

Suddenly, saying everything out loud was more than just a confession to Gaius, it was a confession to himself. He knew that what he had done was above and beyond the need to protect Arthur. At a certain point he had come to crave that pull of power; he had come to rely on it, and even enjoy it.

He choked out a sob. “I’m not sure I want to stop it.”  
  
Gaius had frozen and confusion was writ across his face.  
  
“There have been so many,” Merlin continued. “Cenred was the first. I didn’t even know what I was doing. And then Valiant, so, I guess you were right.”  
  
Merlin laughed as he wiped tears off his cheeks.  
  
“I know I gave you a hard time about the Valiant thing, Merlin,” Gaius said carefully.  
  
“Well you were right,” Merlin said again. “And then it was that Morgause woman and Nimueh and, I don’t know, there may have been a Sophia in there somewhere, I can’t really remember. And then, and then,” he said, hysteria rising in his voice, “and then Helios who was hired to kill everyone, including Arthur. I killed him instead. I had to protect Arthur so I killed them all instead.”  
  
“Is this a joke?” Gaius said after a beat.  
  
Merlin held his hands up to his mouth as tears flowed freely, his shoulders shuddering. He was vaguely aware of the office lights flickering around them.  
  
Gaius was standing over him now, a hand resting on his shoulder, “Merlin, are you telling me you killed these people?”  
  
Merlin looked up into Gaius eyes and nodded. Gaius didn’t react. And he didn’t react.  
  
Merlin looked around the room in shock. Gaius was frozen, literally frozen in place. His sobs had reduced to sniffles in his confusion. What had he done? Did he freeze his mentor?  
  
“I did this,” said a gravely voice.  
  
Merlin spun towards the door and found himself face to face with an elderly man in a hunting coat and a flat cap.  
  
“Who are you?”  
  
“Someone who's been watching you for a long time.” He had a slight accent that Merlin couldn’t place.  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Because of what you and Arthur are destined to do.”  
  
Whatever Merlin had expected to hear, it wasn’t that.  
  
“I don’t understand,” Merlin said.  
  
“You have been given a gift, just as your father before you was given a gift,” he said.  
  
“Did you know my father?” Merlin asked unable to hide the desperation in his voice.  
  
“I did,” the man confessed. “And I watched him do amazing things with his gift, change people’s lives. Save lives.”  
  
Merlin sagged. Minutes ago he had been fully prepared to have a breakdown over what he had done, but he wasn’t sure he could handle posthumously disappointing his father on top of it.  
  
“He was a good man,” Merlin agreed hoarsely.  
  
“As are you.”  
  
“I’ve killed,” Merlin argued.

“You’ve had reasons to do so, you’re protecting the person you care about.”  
  
Merlin swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’ve liked it.”  
  
“Well, yes there is that,” the man acknowledged. “You could stop, you know. You could resist the pull.”  
  
Merlin hesitated.  
  
“Ah, well, there’s your answer. And once you have that answer, I trust you know what you have to do.”  
  
Merlin nodded slowly and then asked, “But who are you? Why are you here?”  
  
“I came to stop you from making the mistake of confessing your so-called crimes to Gaius. He may understand that you are different, special, but he is still a man of the law,” the man said. “And I’ve come to let you know that I’ll be watching.”  
  
“Waiting for me to screw up and get caught?” Merlin asked, a sudden fear piercing through his chest.  
  
“No, Merlin,” the man said, voice softer and accent thicker than it had been before. “We always protect the things we love. You have before and you will again.”  
  
“Who are you?” Merlin asked again.  
  
“My name is Kilgharrah, but you can call me an old friend.”  
  
And with that, he tipped his cap at Merlin and walked out the door.  
  
Merlin stared after the man for a few seconds before he suddenly realized that Gaius was no longer frozen and was moving around the room.  
  
“Are you alright, Merlin?” Gaius asked, giving Merlin a critical raise of his eyebrow. “You don’t look well.”  
  
Merlin looked around, confused. “What?”  
  
“You look like you might be getting ill,” Gaius explained. “You should get some rest and tell that Arthur he’s overworking you.”  
  
Merlin laughed a little hysterically. Gaius had no recollection of his confession. That man – Kilgharrah – had erased the last few minutes of memory from Gaius, leaving Merlin confession free.  
  
“Oh, yeah,” Merlin said absently. “I must be coming down with something. I should get out of here, you know, just in case I’m contagious.”  
  
“How considerate,” Gaius agreed. “I’ll see you in a few weeks then.”  
  
Merlin left the office and went to splash water on his face in the bathroom. Merlin almost laughed when he caught sight of his reflection. Gaius had been right, he looked like hell.  
  
He thought back to what Kilgharrah has said about protecting the people that we love. That’s what he had been doing since the beginning – even before they had official met, his instinct had been to protect Arthur. And as he sat in the poorly lit bathroom outside of Gaius’ office, Merlin could never see himself not protecting Arthur. Not when he had the change, and not when he had the power.  
  
He pulled himself together the best he could, and decided that he’d given Arthur enough time to process things. They were going to talk.

~~~~

  
  
The moment he arrived at Arthur’s apartment he knew something was wrong. At first glance everything looked in order, but as he stepped through the door his powers pushed at his skin with everything they had.  
  
As he moved cautiously down the hall, he heard a noise and realized it was a muffled yell. He turned the corner and found Arthur and Agravaine in the living room.  
  
Arthur was tied to a wooden chair from his dining room, gagged by his Pendragon red tie, an angry flush high on his cheeks. His lip was split and the beginnings of a shiner was forming around his right eye.  
  
Agravaine sat in a relaxed pose on the couch, but there was a gun resting on top of a stack of files on the coffee table between him and Arthur. Merlin couldn’t see them clearly from where he was, but he had a strong suspicious that they were the cases linked to J. Helios.  
  
“So it's you. Mr. Emrys,” Agravaine said, voice calm and collected. “I’ve heard so much about you. Have a seat so we can chat.”  
  
Agravaine didn’t even acknowledge his gun, but he didn’t need to. The threat was clear.  
  
Merlin wavered. His gut reaction was to just destroy Agravaine – obliterate any trace of his existence from the earth. But even after his validating conversation with Kilgharrah, Merlin didn’t know if he could go through with it. Not with Arthur watching him like he was worried more for Merlin’s safety than his own.  
  
Finally, after catching Arthur’s eye, Merlin slowly sat down in an armchair that was to the side but positioned in between the couch and the chair Arthur was bound to. He caught his reflection in the mirrored glass of the window and found his eyes to still be blue but entirely rimmed in a halo of gold. He struggled to keep his powers both under his skin, and also close at hand. It was just a matter of time…  
  
Agravaine let a few long moments of silence pass before he turned to Merlin. “So, you’re the Mr. Emrys who's been corrupting my IS&T guy.”  
  
Merlin cocked his head to the side. “That’s one way of looking at it,” he said.  
  
“And how would you look at it?” Agravaine asked with a smirk.  
  
“It’s a funny thing,” Merlin said with no trace of humor. “If you have nothing to hide, then asking someone to pull old case files could hardly be considered corrupting them.”  
  
“I concede your point, but regardless, you had no business digging into any closed cases,” Agravaine said smoothly.  
  
“And why shouldn’t I? Something was off, it would have been clear to anyone who bothered to look.”  
  
Arthur was giving Merlin a wide-eyed look, struggling to call out even while gagged.  
  
“Well that does bring us to the crux of the problem, doesn’t it? You’ve stumbled on some, shall we say, interesting information, and instead of keeping it to yourself, you told dear Arthur here. It was only a matter of time before he told my brother-in-law and I just couldn’t let that happen.”  
  
“If you had done your job as the head of security, I wouldn’t have been suspicious,” Merlin spat. “You knew that Valiant was a real threat to Arthur and you did nothing!”  
  
“Arthur had to be taken out of the picture sooner or later,” Agravaine said with a shrug. “It was so convenient to have someone else do it, to just let it happen.”  
  
Arthur struggled against his bonds, rocking the chair as he tried to break free. He couldn’t get any words out around the gag, but Merlin had a pretty good idea of what he might be trying to say. Merlin subtly wiggled his fingers and the knots binding Arthur loosened slightly.  
  
“But he didn’t succeed,” Merlin said triumphantly. “I stopped him.”  
  
Arthur’s brows furrowed at this announcement.  
  
“And I stopped Helios, too,” Merlin continued. “What makes you think I can’t stop you?”  
  
Agravaine either already knew what happened to his associate or he didn’t care. Instead he gestured towards Arthur. “I do think I have the upper hand here, don’t you?”  
  
Merlin’s stared at Agravaine in disbelief. “Is this really your big plan? Use Helios to stack all the cards in the deck and then get rid of the one person who is keeping you from inheriting half the company one day?”  
  
“I am impressed, Mr. Emrys,” Agravaine said. “The problem with a long con is that you have to keep it so close to your chest. It’s refreshing to have it out in the open at last.“  
  
Agravaine shifted forward on the couch, resting his arms on his knees and giving Arthur a thoughtful look before continuing, “Understand that I did plan on having you killed much later, but what can you do? It’s just a shame that Helios can no longer take care of this; I do hate getting my hands dirty.”  
  
He pushed himself off the couch and reached for the gun. But Merlin made his move first. Before Agravaine could fully get to his feet, Merlin was in front of him holding the gun to his head.  
  
“I think you should sit back down,” Merlin said coldly.  
  
“How–“ Agravaine started.

“You shouldn’t have underestimated me,” Merlin snarled. “Now sit down.”  
  
Agravaine’s legs began bending on their own and he collapsed back on to the couch. Before Merlin could continue, there was a loud crash. Arthur had succeeded in knocking the chair over and was struggling to get his limbs free. Keeping the gun trained on Agravaine's head, Merlin waved his free hand, further loosening the knots that still bound Arthur.  
  
Merlin could hear Arthur wrestling off the ropes and coughing as he pulled the tie free from his mouth. Arthur struggled to his feet, but it seemed that he had been stationary for long enough that he’d lost feeling in his legs. He collapsed back on the floor. Even with his attention focused on Agravaine, Merlin sent out a thin tendril of magic, searching and ensuring that Arthur wasn't hurt.  
  
“So, that’s it,” Arthur asked, looking up at his uncle from the floor. “You were going to destroy everything we worked for?”  
  
“Answer him,” Merlin demanded.  
  
“I was playing the system,” Agravaine gritted out.  
  
“You were cheating,” Merlin corrected. “You were willing to sacrifice innocent people to win.”  
  
“It is a flawed system, I’ll grant you that,”Agravaine said with no remorse.  
  
“But we’re family,” Arthur protested, his voice thick with betrayal.  
  
Agravaine glared at Arthur. “Why should that matter? Just because you’re my sister’s daughter you think that that should mean something to me? You're nothing more than a–”  
  
“I think we’ve heard enough from you,” Merlin said and his eyes flashed.  
  
Agravaine opened his mouth to protest but no words came out. Merlin held up his hand and Agravaine flew off of the couch, slammed into the side table with a resounding crack and collapsed into a heap on the floor.  
  
Blood was dripping down from a cut on Agravaine’s hairline, and his gaze was unfocused; he likely had a concussion. Merlin took a slow step forward and cocked the gun.  
  
“Merlin, you can put the gun down,” Arthur said cautiously, holding his hands out in a placating gesture. “The cops are on the way and he can’t hurt us now.”  
  
“He will keep trying!” Merlin yelled, he calm facade finally breaking. “And it’s not just you, he wants everything your family has built. He tried to have Helios kill you! He tried to do it himself! Don’t you see, Arthur? This is the only way!”  
  
Agravaine looked up past Merlin and at Arthur pleading for mercy with his eyes.  
  
“Merlin,” Arthur said softly, suddenly right behind him. “Please, don’t do this.”  
  
“I’m doing this for you!” Merlin sobbed. “To protect you! It’s all been for you.”  
  
He was torn. He wanted to kill Agravaine for everything he had done, and everything he had planned to do; he could feel the power inside of him pushing forward with the urge to protect Arthur. It was easy to get lost in the rush of it, easy to let his eyes fill with the liquid gold, even as he wanted to pull the trigger himself and not use his powers at all. But there was Arthur, reaching out to him and pulling back into himself.  
  
Arthur’s hand closed on his shoulder and he slid it down Merlin’s out stretched arm. At the same time, he pressed himself to Merlin’s back, and leaned in, lips grazing Merlin’s ear as he whispered, “You’ve done everything you can, he’s not worth it.”

Merlin shivered slightly, but didn’t relent. But then Arthur’s voice was at his ear again, strong and steady, “Stop.”  
  
And Merlin did. He could feel the power snap back at Arthur’s command, like it had reached the end of a tether. He didn’t relinquish his hold on Agravaine, but he allowed himself to find Arthur’s core and anchor himself to that.  
  
Moments later the sound of sirens split the air and police were spilling into the apartment, Merlin and Arthur still frozen together in a half embrace with Agravaine at their feet.  
  
A set of detectives led them out of the apartment and onto the street with Agravaine in handcuffs bringing up the rear. The commotion had lured out some of Arthur’s neighbors and a local news crew seemed to have caught wind of the story.  
  
Merlin and Arthur were separated to give brief statements and by the time Merlin was released, the adrenalin and power were fading from his system, leaving him tired and sluggish.  
  
A sudden shock of panic ran through Merlin and he turned to find Agravaine’s stony face watching him intently from the back of the police cruiser. The world slowed down and Merlin knew without a doubt that Agravaine would never stop. Prison may slow him down, but it would never fully stop him.

As the car pulled away, Merlin could have sworn he saw Kilgharrah standing under the light across the street, giving an approving nod and tip his hat. But when he looked again, he was gone.  
  
Arthur’s voice reached Merlin’s ears as if through a tunnel, and time sped up again. He looked around and found that most of the crowd had dispersed.  
  
“Come on, Merlin,” Arthur said, holding out a hand to help him up. He pulled Merlin into a hug. “You were amazing, but you never have to do that for me again. You don’t need to protect me.”  
  
“I don’t know if I can stop,” Merlin admitted.  
  
“We’ll protect each other then. Promise?” Arthur compromised. And when Merlin nodded he pulled back out of the hug, “Let’s go.”  
  
Merlin closed his eyes and let his magic once again reach out and coil around Arthur as they linked their fingers together. As long as he had Arthur he would be ok, but as long as Arthur was alive he wouldn’t stop protecting him.  
  
“Yeah,” Merlin agreed. “Let’s go.”  
  
As they walked in silence away from the flashing police lights, Arthur gave Merlin’s hand a reassuring squeeze. Merlin tightened his grip in return and smiled to himself. Agravaine would still get what he deserved. After all, accidents could always happen in prison.


End file.
